The Light Behind Your Eyes
by HockeyKid6622
Summary: The war is over, but the struggle for Easy Company has just begun. After splitting up for the first time in four years, Griest is suddenly in a world she no longer understands, and alone. She must turn her mind away from her past and adapt to a life without war, without her men. But how can she leave behind everything she experienced and move on? Can she leave her ghosts behind?
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1**

 **Author's note: Hey guys! So after long several months, I am back! I really hope this story lives up to everyone's expectations. It took some time to figure out what direction I wanted to go and then to write it all down. So once again, I hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you guys think; I am always open for constructive criticism, and your reviews always make my day. Like We Lucky Few, I will try to update every Friday but I am currently working two casual jobs and the one I am on-call pretty much every day, so I never really know when I'm working, and I won't be able to update at work, so the weekly update is more of a guideline, but fingers crossed. Once again, this series if based off the actors' portrayals of the characters, so NO DISRESPECT INTENDED! Also, because this is a fanfiction, I have changed some of the character's storylines and their lives after the war. Alright, that's all I can think of and you guys have waited long enough. Thanks guys and enjoy. Happy Canada Day #150!**

* * *

 _ **"If I could be with you tonight. I would sing you to sleep; never let them take the light behind your eyes. I failed and lost this fight. Never fade in the dark. Just remember, you will always burn as bright"- The Light Behind Your Eyes by My Chemical Romance.**_

* * *

Griest looked around, surveying the barren, frozen wasteland. The snow fell from the heavens as thick, grey clouds covered the sky, leaving her alone in the forest. The splintered remains of trees stood surrounding her, while the fractured, wooden shards laid all around her. She was aware of a dull THUD that left her feeling shaky and unsteady, but it sounded as if she were wearing earmuffs that muffled the sound. Her heart pounded loudly as she breathed deeply; that noise was important and meaningful, but she couldn't remember what it was. She looked down at her fatigues, which were covered in splinters, dirt, mud, and blood. Her hands were a waxy colour and shook like the earth.

"Griest! Chucky! Chucky, c'mon!"

"Skip?" She breathed looking up at the voice. "Penkala? But you're dead." Her friends were waiting in their foxhole with bright, red noses and pale skin. They waved at her frantically as Griest made a face; she had watched them die. There was nothing left of them but a smoldering boot.

"Hey, kid, it's cold tonight; why don't you spend the night with us?" She remembered how Skip's eyes sparkled as he flicked away his cigarette butt. Griest had declined and, by doing so, escaped their terrible fate. She grew cold as she froze repeating their names, "Skip? Penkala? Alex? Warren?"

BOOM! The earth shook as the dull thudding sound became as clear as crystal. She flinched and dropped to the ground, covering her head as her helmet dropped to the forest floor several feet away. They were artillery rounds, and they were coming to kill her.

"Chucky! Move!" The pair shouted as Griest began crawling forward, ignoring the cold snow that burned her fingers like fire. She stared at the ground as the heat from the rounds grew closer and the ground shook with more ferocity, like the sound of a roaring lion. She finally reached the foxhole and reached out to her friends, but it wasn't her friends anymore.

"Help me," the being pleaded as Griest released a shriek and jumped back. The being grabbed her arm and held on tightly. It was wearing an American paratrooper uniform but it was missing an arm. Griest pulled back but it held fast and pleaded for help. She finally yanked her hand free and fell backwards into the snow.

"If only you were faster." A little girl said sadly. She had long strawberry blonde hair that hung loosely by her waist and deep blue eyes. She was wearing a deep red dress and held a haunting doll in her hands. Griest looked to her forearm where the words were tattooed onto her skin: A-7731.

"I tried," Griest muttered as she pushed herself away from the girl. Tears rolled down her cheeks, freezing to her skin in the frigid air. "I went as fast as I could!"

"Well, it wasn't fast enough," a new voice rasped as Griest looked beside the girl. It was Major Dick Winters, but not the Winters she knew. The Winters she knew was strong, caring, dependable, and solid. This one was pale with sunken cheekbones and a partially decayed face. The fatigues he wore hung off his body as maggots and earthworms crawled through his hair and clothes. Behind Winters, stood Easy Company, her family, her home even after all those years. They all resembled Winters with partially decayed body parts as the stench of death clung to them, making her gag. Griest looked at Roe as she released a strangled cry. His hair was matted and dull patches while the left side of his face was a mere skull. His eyes shone blue, as if pleading with her.

"You could have saved us," Luz pressed as he reached forward stroking her cheek with a skeleton finger.

"No, I- I- I just talked with you," Griest shouted as her men, Skip, Penkala, the girl, and the paratrooper advanced on her, surrounding her. Trapping her, "you were fine! You guys survived."

"Henri," Penkala hissed as he grabbed her arm. Griest buried her head in her hands as sobs shook her body; they survived the war, they were supposed to be okay.

"Henri. Henri. HENRI!"

* * *

"Whoa," a familiar voice chuckled as Griest forced her eyes open and jumped back. Her vision cleared as she looked around; Penkala, Skip, Aaliyah were gone along with Easy Company. The ghosts had left her for the moment. She looked to her left where a pretty brunette watched her with narrowed, almond coloured eyes, which were framed behind glasses. The girl's hands were raised, showing her empty palms as she leaned back. Griest recognized her as Carol, her colleague, and associate.

"Are you okay? You were yelling and fighting in your sleep; you looked to be dreaming," Carol added as Griest breathed deeply to regain control of her racing heart. She looked around and saw she was sitting in the backseat of a car. The buildings whizzed past her as Griest looked back at Carol.

"I'm fine," she huffed as she sat up straight and brushed the wrinkles out of her grade A uniform in a stiff, non-committed motion. Her face felt hot as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"You sure?" Carol leaned forward. "You were screaming and kept saying you weren't fast enough. You also kept shouting, 'Penkala', 'Skip', and 'Aaliyah'. What are those things?"

Griest froze slightly as her teeth clenched together and she breathed in deeply. Her eyes flickered grey as the vehicle rolled to a stop. Griest gripped the door handle tightly as her stomach whirled and flopped in her abdomen. Her fingers burned as if she were still crawling through the snow. Then, in a soft yet harsh voice, she answered, "They are ghosts."

She kicked the door open and stepped out as she placed her side cap on her head and adjusted it. Carol joined her as the pair made their way up the tall, stone steps into the large, imposing building.

"Are you ready?" Carol breathed as her eyes skimmed through a notebook, studying the pages and the cursive writing it contained. Griest nodded but knew the brunette wouldn't even see. "Don't forget this may be our last, and best chance; if we get this, we can push the organization ahead decades! They can't possibly deny a woman's application or education because of her gender if this works! Just stick to the facts, and don't back down."

They paused at a set of huge, oak doors ignoring the looks the men were flashing them. Griest smoothed out her olive drabs once again as she stood tall; it had been almost four years since she last adorned her uniform. It had been a different world back then.

Carol sighed and pulled on her lavender colour blouse as she pushed her glasses higher onto the bridge of her nose. "I don't need to tell you how important this is, Henri. I don't know what the next plan is if this doesn't work. I'm depending on you. We all are."

"Don't worry," Griest breathed silencing the flutters in her stomach, "I know what's at stake." Carol nodded as Griest pushed the door open and strode in with pride and purpose.

* * *

"Alright, we are here to discuss an enrollment issue with umm..." A bald man began as he looked down on the two women with a bored look on his face. He slouched in his seat and yawned every few words as he ran his fingers through his thick, white hair.

"Carol Miller," Carol stated trying to sound as strong and daunting as she could, but her voice resembled that of a mouse. Griest breathed in deeply as what felt like a golf ball settled in the back of her throat.

His name had been Miller, and you didn't even know that until after he died. Carol cleared her throat gently as Griest looked up at the annoyed faces.

"Right... Now, what's the issue here?" He drawled as he looked at his watch.

"Well, sir," Carol began as she skimmed through her notebook again. "I am here on behalf of-" She paused as the man held up a hand and whispered in the other man's ear. The other man, a bigger man with salt and pepper hair, chuckled as he shrugged. The white haired man yawned again before he nodded at Carol.

Carol glanced at Griest then continued, but her voice was shakier and lacked any conviction, "I am here on behalf of the women of the fine state of New York. Many women are losing the jobs they once held and are no longer allowed into post-secondary education after the war, or they must do so at another campus. Women make up approximately 50% of the population, but make significantly less than her male counterparts. We are denied certain occupations despite our education, skills, and-"

"I'm going to stop you right there, Miss... Milliger, right?"

"It's Miller, actually," Carol muttered softly but the white haired man just stared at her.

"Uh huh, Miss Miller, women do not need an education or jobs. Since the end of the Second War, the men have returned and need the enrollment places and jobs that the women once held. I appreciate what you gals did, but you are no longer needed. If you need money, marry someone and give birth to lots of sons. Your husbands can take care of you," he sighed as if that closed the issue, but Carol pushed.

"But, sir, what if women don't want to get married? Women have proven themselves more than capable of doing a man's job. And post-secondary institutions should choose their students based on their academic achievements, not on gender."

"Are you saying the boys who went to war for you don't deserve an education or a job after everything they went through?" The salt and pepper man huffed as he sat forward in his chair. His bloated face turned red as a vein popped from his face. Griest glanced at Carol as she formed a tight fist behind her back; they were losing control.

"You course not! I'm just saying that women should be given the same opportunities and treatment as men do-"

"It sounds like you don't care about our war heroes. I'll let you know, missy, many of our boys died over there or came back without arms or legs! I didn't see any of you girls over there getting dirty with the rest of them."

"Excuse me, sir, that's not correct," Griest began gently as she stepped forward. "Private Griest from Easy Company, second battalion of the 506th PIR of the 101st Airborne; I fought in the war, and, as you put it, 'got dirty with the rest of them'. My esteemed colleague has a record of my military transcripts." Griest nodded at Carol as the women placed the file in front of each of the men. "As you can see, I am a D-Day veteran; I have fought in the Brecourt Manor and the taking of Carentan; I fought in Operation Market Garden and received the Purple Heart for a gunshot wound. I was in the Battle of the Bulge and became a part of the Allied occupation force after V-E- Day.

"You can see, I was the only female allowed in a combat role to determine whether a female can successfully be integrated, trained, and fight in a combat role. I am still here today and managed to kill a lot of Germans, so I'll say I was successful. Sir, after the war, I attended school with the intention of regaining my purpose after the war. I was successfully enrolled but had to attend classes at another campus, like all the other females. Our teachers were sloppy, our equipment was lacking, and our resources were nowhere near what they should have been. During my time, I applied with the New York Police Department with the objective of becoming a police officer to put my combat skills to use, and to further serve my country. I was denied based solely on my gender; they never accounted for my skills, my strengths, nor my past. As a woman, and a veteran, I say it is a disgrace to be told my only place in life is to marry some guy and give birth to his children. I served my country and bled for her, and I have seen what women can do. We need equal access to education, jobs, and wages, no matter our gender."

"Private Griest," the white-haired man began, "frankly, women just can't handle the responsibility or make the right decisions to be given those opportunities."

"Well, your mother made the decision to have you, so far that's the only questioning decision a female has made." She smiled up at them as she fought to keep her anger back, a battle she was losing more often. She was a warrior, a soldier who fought alongside men and was treated like one of them. Her superiors gave her no extra treatment and held her to the men's standards, and she thrived. When she came back home, she expected to be treated the same; she expected people to respect her service, honour her sacrifices, and treat her as a veteran should. Instead, people laughed at her, called her a liar when she said she was a vet; she was shipped off to some shitty school, and denied her dream job. It was an embarrassment and slap to the face; she'd prefer to land on another building.

"Henri!" Carol breathed throwing her a heated look as the two men inhaled sharply. Griest continued her sweet smile, savoring the wounded look on their faces.

"You say you were an accomplished soldier," the white-haired men hissed as his shoulders jumped to his neck, "but how can we believe you? You could be lying about all of it."

"I was hoping you would ask that," Griest nodded at Carol who placed another folder in front of the committee. "In there you will find letters from my unit, Easy Company. Some of these letters are from my commanding officer, Major Dick Winters, some of the commissioned officers such as Captain Speirs, Lieutenant Compton, Lieutenant Lipton, and Lieutenant Welsh, some are from the sergeants and NCOs, such as Staff Sergeant Guarnere, Sergeant Malarkey, and Sergeant Luz. There, they have detailed how I was as a soldier, how I was in combat, and whether or not I was deemed successful."

"It was a good thing you asked for those letters," Carol whispered to Griest as the men read over the various letters. Griest nodded; her friends had been more than willing to help her. Nixon managed to pull a few strings to allow the women to talk with the committee instead of some lower leveled figurehead.

"So? What are these supposed to do? Nobody will believe you were an actual soldier; people probably think you stole that uniform," the salt and pepper man chuckled but his one eyes were twitching. Griest smiled and pushed further; he was nervous.

"True, they are less inclined to believe me; however, those are not the only copies of the letters we received. We want to you raise women's wages, begin to work on co-ed post-secondary institutions, and equal occupations, or we will release these letters to the newspapers. The people won't believe me, but they will believe the Battered Bastards of Bastogne."

"Are you threatening us?" The salt and pepper haired man seethed as Griest met his stormy eyes.

"No, sir, I am promising you. We in the airborne don't make threats we won't fulfill." She watched the two men, expecting to see fear, frustration, and anger in their eyes, but the white-haired man was smiling as his eyes danced. The look reminded her of Sobel before he sent them on the dreaded Currahee run after eating spaghetti. Griest focused on him as her heart began to pound, it always did just before a hard battle. Something was wrong; he should have been pissed. Griest looked over at Carol who was grinning happily; she didn't understand.

"I would like to introduce General Taylor and Colonel Sink from the former 101st Airborne Division," the white-haired man announced with a cocky smile. Griest followed his gaze where Sink and Taylor stepped through the huge, heavy doors. The years had been kind to them; they hadn't aged a day since the war.

Griest never really cared for Taylor; she had lost a lot of respect for the man when she learned he was eating Christmas turkey at home, while Easy Company was eating weak, cold, bean soup on Christmas Eve as they froze their asses off. But, she respected Sink; although he never agreed a female should be in combat, he treated her the same and gave her equal opportunities as everyone else. He supported Easy and helped them out as often as he could. He was a good man.

"Morning, Chucky," Sink drawled as he stood in front of her. Taylor joined the two manned committee and began whispering in their ears as the men chuckled.

"Good morning, sir." She nodded and saluted him. Sink chuckled with a shake of his head.

"You finished one war, so you came home to fight another, eh?"

"Something like that, sir." They both smiled as Griest felt something inside of her glow, something she hadn't felt since coming home. It was warm and familiar and made her think of Luz's loud snores, Perconte's constant brushing, Winters' kind face, Lipton's smile, and Roe's blue eyes. For the first time in three long years, she wasn't cold or alone. She hadn't been called "Chucky" since Winters told her to go home and make something of herself; she hadn't done that yet.

"You hear what they did to Easy?" He asked as Griest looked up from the floor with a tight scowl. Only a few months after Easy returned home, the army disbanded the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Griest was mad when she heard of Easy's retirement; she was no longer in the army so it had no impact on her life, but Easy had been her home for almost four years, including training. It was a feeling, an emotion that lived through her and bonded her together with her men; it was her home and she missed it.

"Those bastards," she growled causing the colonel to laugh as he nodded his head.

"Well, we better get this started; you're a good kid, Chucky, and a fine good soldier no matter what." He shook her hand before joining Taylor at the head of the committee, but the words left her feeling hollow as she gnawed on her lip. They only complimented you before destroying you.

"Private Griest, good to see you again," General Taylor began as he looked up from a sheet of paper.

"Good to see you again too, sir," she responded in a guarded voice as she glanced at Sink anxiously. She hated this part; the waiting and pleasantries before a fight.

"So, you will go public with your military background unless you get what you want?" Taylor asked looking up as Griest formed a tight fist.

"Sir, I am doing this on behalf of all American women; I am doing this for your mothers, sisters, and daughters. I fought for the freedom of the American people in Europe, and now I'm fighting for the freedom of women," she corrected as her voice grew huskier and sharper.

"You are aware you were part of a military experiment, correct?" Taylor continued ignoring her changing tone. Griest fought the urge to look back at Carol as her throat pinched together.

"Yes, sir."

"And by coming forward with this experiment, you are revealing military secrets to our enemies."

"What military secrets?" She hissed. "I killed Krauts; they know I exist, and so do the Russians; I fought beside them too. You think they care that you have a girl in combat boots? You think that's news to them?"

"I'd watch your tone of voice, Private, you are still addressing a higher ranking officer," the salt and pepper man hissed as sly grin covered his face. Griest wanted nothing more than to slap that expression off his fat lips but controlled herself; getting into a fistfight with the committee would only harm her cause.

"If you were to reveal those secrets, you would be tried and conviction of treason against the United States and sent to prison," Taylor finished as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and glanced at Sink.

"So, let me get this straight," Griest's shoulders slouched as she placed all her weight on one leg and crossed her arms, "you were fine with me fighting over there, killing Germans, but you'd arrest and imprison me for fighting for American women? That's fucking bullshit."

"Watch your mouth in this committee!" The white haired man shouted but Griest never gave him a sideways glance, he wasn't worth her time. Taylor's face remained stone while the corner of Sink's lips turned upwards slightly. Griest looked back at Carol as she tapped her fingers against the side of her leg.

"Then sign me up; you're going to put me in a warm building where I get three meals a day, shelter, and a bed? Hell, that's better than Bastogne. Lots of people have been arrested for their beliefs, so be it." She smiled up at them daring them to make her words a reality; she knew they would do it. Sink and Taylor were paratroopers; they never made a threat they wouldn't fulfill. Sink's face fell as he shook his head.

"Ya don't understan', Chucky. You and whoever supports you will be convicted of treason," Sink muttered with authority, but he ground his teeth together and shook his head. "I'm sorry, kid, but those are the regulations."

"Major Dick Winters, Captain Nixon, Captain Speirs, Lieutenant Compton, Lieutenant Welsh, Lieutenant Lipton, Staff Sergeant Guarnere, Sergeant Malarkey, Sergeant Luz, should I continue?" The white-haired man grinned as he slowly flipped through the letters letting them fall to the ground.

Griest froze as all the air left her lungs. It felt as if the world was spinning as she placed a hand on the desk and gripped it tightly. The man continued on as Carol protested loudly, but their voices faded into the background.

D-Day flashed through her mind as she remembered how scared, frantic, and terrified they all were. She could smell the sweat, blood, explosives, and sea water in the air as her hands began to shake and her vision blurred between past and present. She recalled Skip looking at her, promising he was going to get a good job and marry his girl once he got home. They all made vows to the Heavens about their future if they survived, and they pursued those dreams, well, those who were still there. Most of the guys now had good, respectable jobs, and a lot of them were married. Martin, for example, had a home construction business that was really taking off.

They agreed to that war, she thought feeling the cold Bastogne winds, they fought and did their time; they didn't agree to fight this one. They're done fighting. I won't make them do it. She knew they would support her if she asked, but she wouldn't. She wasn't about to drag them back into another war. She couldn't.

"We'll back off," Griest announced, interrupting Carol and the white haired man, who were in a heated discussion. Everyone looked to Griest with different expressions: the two committee members were pleased, Taylor looked unconcerned, Sink looked uncomfortable, and Carol looked defeated and mad. "We won't release those reports."

"Good, good," the salt and pepper man beamed, "but if we find anything, we'll have you and your friends locked up."

"That's enough, Mr. Thomas," Sink hissed as his eyes smoldered, "Chucky's a paratrooper; she will hold to the agreement." Griest nodded at Sink as they adjourned the meeting. The committee members and Taylor left immediately as Sink rejoined Griest once again.

"Remember Holland; when the east didn't work, we went to the west. And, if that didn't work, we went south, then north. Keep pushing," he encouraged. Griest nodded as the colonel followed Taylor, leaving the two females alone. Griest hesitantly met Carol's eyes and crossed her arms.

"We'll get it, just not that way. Those men, they've been through enough and I won't pull them back into a fight." Her voice was hard like iron and as unforgiving as the Bastogne wilderness. Carol's eyes were downcast as her shoulders rounded in defeat; she looked to have aged two years just by standing there.

"I know," she said with a small smile before her thick lips formed a frown, "I get it. C'mon, let's get out of here and tell the others."

* * *

" _ **I am left with basically nothing. Too trapped in**_ war _ **to be at peace, too damaged to be at war"- Army veteran, Daniel Somers**_

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 **Author's note (again): so that's chapter 1! Let me know what you guys think. Women's rights had come a long way in the 1950s but were no** were **near what they are today. Many women lost their jobs to the returning soldiers and those who did work were subject to discrimination, unequal pay, and unequal opportunities. They were also not allowed to own property and pressured to stay at home, give birth to children, and raise those children. Their access to education was limited but getting better. On November 30, 1945, the 506th PIR (Easy Company) was disbanded, then the was reorganized for the Korean War under the designation of the 506th Infantry Regiment. So some of this might not totally be accurate, and I might have exaggerated some stuff, but I needed to make it work for the story. Yeah. Thanks for reading and let me know what you guys think. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

 **Author's Note: okay, so, so, so sorry for the late update but I worked a night shift last night and have about 45 minutes before I leave for another one. But, hey, it's still Friday- where I live anyways. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, it really encourages me to see what you all think. So this is a shorter chapter and gets things going. Once again, let me know what you think and if there's anything I need to work on- I take all forms of constructive criticism. Alright, I think that's everything. Thanks guys and have a good one!**

* * *

" _ **It's a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what's changed is you"- F. Scott Fitzgerald**_

* * *

"They did what?" Sandra, their colleague and Carol's close friend, gasped as Carol updated the group a few days later. They were comprised of only ten women, but were strong in spirit and determination.

Griest had joined them a year ago after she received her English degree. Sandra's brother was an NYPD police officer named James. Although tall and intimidating, he was a good man. He was one of the rare officers who supported Griest and supported her application to the NYPD. He took a lot of risks doing so. James told Sandra about Griest, who got in contact with her old college roommate, Carol. They both believed Griest could help and push their cause. Her military experience was an added bonus, but they were slightly disappointed when Griest refused to talk about the war. Once in a while, Griest would make an offhand comment about the war, but they were vague and few and far between. For example, on a cold, snowy day, Griest would look out the window and say, "It was snowy in Bastogne." But that was as far and as detailed as she would ever go, no matter how hard they pried and pushed.

"Yep, they threatened to arrest whoever supported her claims if we went forward," Carol finished as Sandra took a long drag on her cigarette. They were in their tiny office, which was cluttered with paper and desks. They had a single window, which Sandra had claimed to smoke. Griest was sitting on the other side of the room, staring at a sheet of paper as her stomach burned. She could handle fist fights, but the government and legal shit? She hated it.

"Well, they had Sink and Taylor there, so that must mean we were hitting a nerve," Sandra huffed placing her hands on her hips. "What's the next step? Another rally? We're losing support and getting ignored. Maybe we can go back to the university and speak with some of the women there; they must be getting just as tired of the conditions as we were. Henrietta, what do you think?" Griest continued staring at the paper, oblivious to the conversation. "Henrietta? Henrietta!"

"What?" Griest looked up as she made a face; her first name left a sour taste in her mouth. She looked at Sandra with narrowed eyes as she shrugged; she was the muscle, not the brain; even then, her muscle had failed them. She grabbed a small flask from her desk and took a long swig. The liquor burned her throat and tasted of gasoline, but she kept drinking. "I don't know, we can't push this angle anymore; we can't go against what the committee said."

"So you're giving up?" Sandra growled as Carol grew smaller beside the window.

"That's not what I said," Griest huffed rolling her eyes; she missed working with men. The only way you could insult them was by stealing their food, beer, or making jokes about their manhood, but that was about it. Even then, you gave them a beer and they would let it go. "We just need to try and find a new angle. Maybe we should talk to the men?"

"We tried that, but they just ignore us. We just gotta keep on pushing," Nancy, another member, added from the other side of the tiny room. Griest rolled her eyes and stood up brushing cigarette ash off her trousers with a sneer.

"Alright whatever, well I'm going home; my mom's expecting me." She waved goodbye and navigated her way to the door when James stepped in. He needed to stand sideways between two desks as everyone greeted him.

"James, what are you doing here?" Sandra asked as she made her way over. "Did you hear about the other day? They shot us down."

"I heard, but I'm actually here to talk to Miss Griest," he said as he looked down. He was average height and muscular with his sister's thick, brown hair. Sandra was easily the leader of the group; she was determined, inspired, and willing to pay the ultimate price. She could be a little pushy and had a voice that reminded Griest of fingernails against a chalkboard, but she kept that to herself. James, on the other hand, was a sweet guy and kind hearted, but he shared his sister's determination and grit. He was a good officer. Everyone looked at Griest as she slowed her pace, breathing deeply.

"What is it?" She asked crossing her arms as she looked at his stance; his thick lips formed a sad grimace while his eyes were wide. His forage cap was held loosely in his hands as they hung at his side. He stood tall but looked weighted. Griest took in a deep breath and remembered the hail of bullets during the attack on Carentan; the way forward was bad, but she had to do it.

"Let's go outside," he offered, leading the way. Griest jumped over the desk as her fingers brushed against her scared palm in agitation. She closed the door firmly but could see her colleagues- that was all they were, they weren't her friends or anything- crowding around the door peering through the tinted glass.

"What is it?" She repeated crossing her arms.

"Henrietta," she made a face at her first name but James continued softly, as if he were talking to a baby. She hated it. "Your mother was in a cab on the way to get groceries when she was hit by another driver. The driver had been drinking and had no business driving. Your mom..."

"Just say it," she seethed through gritted teeth as her breaths became forced and harsh.

"The other driver hit the passenger side and your mother, Betty Griest... She didn't make it. I'm so sorry, Henrietta." He reached forward with open arms but Griest jumped back as she held herself tightly.

"Don't call me that!" She snapped wishing it were Winters or Lipton giving her the news. They knew she needed her space; they knew she didn't like to be touched. James stepped back as he raised his arms upwards. He began speaking but Griest ignored him as she stared at the ground.

Coming home from the war was not everything Griest had hoped it would be. When Griest and Speirs arrived home, Griest learned her uncle had died as a result of his wounds from the first world war. He had died painlessly, or so her mother said, but Griest never believed her. Griest had lied to Bull, Tabs, and Perconte when they asked about Jackson's death, so why wouldn't her mother do the same?

It was hard to get going after that; Speirs only stayed a week before he left to go home, but his visit was awkward and strained. Betty couldn't look at Speirs without thinking of her son, and Speirs couldn't be in that house without expecting Chris to arrive.

Afterwards, Griest had tried to get back into the world; she tried getting a job and enrolled at school, but her university career was far from stellar on the account of the discrimination. She felt as if she were jumping out of a moving vehicle and tripped every time. She couldn't sleep at night; her dreams were haunted by the things she wanted to forget, but her hands shook and heart pounded in agitation when she was awake. It made her think of the night before D-Day, but this time there was nothing coming, nothing to settle the jitters or her rampant thoughts. She wanted to talk to her uncle about the things she saw and did, but he was no longer there. She couldn't go to her mother; Betty didn't understand and Griest wanted to protect her innocence. Betty had never killed a man, and Griest didn't want her mother to think of her as a killer. She began drinking more, she never drove drunk, but she spent most of her nights plastered in her room while Betty cleaned up the house alone. Now, her mother was gone. First Chris, then Uncle Ben, and now her mom.

"Do you have any questions?" James asked gently as Griest looked up at him. She was lucky, or unlucky depending on how you saw it; Griest never learned about a friend's death from another person during the war. She had always been there and witnessed it, or the gruesome remains. When she told of someone's death, her friends always wanted to know what exactly happened; they wanted enough details to picture his passing, they wanted to be there. Griest never understood; he was gone, what more do you need to know?

"No," she mumbled thinking of the flask in her desk but froze as a wave of anger hit her; that bastard had been drinking too.

"The other driver has been arrested and he will be found guilty; we have enough evidence, so this guy will go away. I promise." James nodded reaching forward again but Griest took a small step back. Her mouth was dry while her head began to pound. Her scar pulsed as she felt hot and slow. She turned around and left James, ignoring his calls. Griest left the building and walked to her now empty home.

 _What did you want me to do?_ She screamed internally hoping someone would start a fight with her; her fists were aching to hit someone while her rage turned her vision red. She was pissed, she was madder than hell, but she also felt empty. She felt like a cold shell. She pictured Winters and replayed his farewell in her head. _You said to do something with my life, but I can't create something when everything's falling apart. What am I supposed to do?!_

Griest wandered around for several hours before she went home. Her mother always made sure the house was warm and bright, but, now, it was the exact opposite. The house looked like a dark tomb and was cold like snow. The inside was just as Griest left it, but it looked the exact opposite. What was once light and warm was dark and cold. Where joy and laughter reigned was now sad and angry. Griest looked to the kitchen where her mother should have been cooking and humming to herself, but it was empty and silent. Lightning and thunder flashed and rumbled through the air as rain began falling onto the house, making everything feel colder and emptier. Griest shivered and felt nauseous.

She peeked into the kitchen before she wandered around the house. She looked into her uncle's room; the Griests had decided to leave his room just as he left it. Griest held a shaky hand to his door and paused, clutching her mother's quilt tightly in her hands. She imagined Krauts stalking through the shadows waiting to claim her like they did to so many of her friends. Griest took in a deep breath and pushed the door open smelling her uncle's various medicines, his cologne, and the metal from his wheelchair. She left it and went to Chris' room. She couldn't force herself to step inside but looked at the various shadows. She knew Chris had posters on his wall and pictures from his adventures with Speirs. It smelled of dust; she could no longer smell his scent. She forgot what he smelled like; his voice was also a distant memory lost in time.

She went back into the kitchen and stared at the pile of dirty dishes in the sink. She tried to remember the last meal the Griests ate together, but was left with nothing but shadows. She shivered and stared down at her other hand, which clutched her brother's letter. Tears blurred her vision as she gripped her lip tightly between her teeth. Her head pounded, her heart screamed, and her chest rose and fell quickly as she looked around for something to do. She felt like a rubber band being pulled too tightly, and now she was about to snap.

"God fucking dammit!" She shouted smashing her hand onto a plate. The glass broke as shards stabbed into her hand. Blood dripped from her skin and landed on the letter, staining Chris' words, while some blood dripped onto his face. Lightning flashed turning the blood to white.

Griest released a short cry and collapsed against the counters as she pulled her knees to her chest. The letter slipped from her fingertips and landed on the floor. Chris' eyes seemed to stare at her, questioning her. She didn't want to be in New York anymore; she wanted to go home. She wanted to return to the 506th, but Easy Company no longer existed. It, like her family, was gone.

* * *

" _ **War is hell, but that's not half if it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead"- Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

 **Author's note: here's the next one. This chapter is a little short too, but it all gets things going for the later chapters. One thing that will be different with this story is it isn't really a fluid story, like you would read a book about. It will jump several years between each chapter. Think of this as a bunch of one-shots that tell of Griest's life after the war. Ahh, yeah... Thanks for reading and once again, a huge thanks to everyone who has commented, favourited, and followed this story. You guys are awesome. Let me know what you guys think and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

" _ **You can't patch a wounded soul with a band-aid"- Unknown**_

* * *

"Eugene, there someone's here to see you." Roe looked up as his older sister, Marie, poked her head into the kitchen. After the war, Roe returned home to his parents and sister. He began work as a construction worker. It was nice to work with his hands, to build something instead of watching it all fall apart. He enjoyed life, but he'd be lying if he said he never thought about Easy.

Being a medic was hard; he had kept everyone at a distance to avoid the agonizing heartbreak of having to treat his friends, well he kept almost everyone at a distance. Despite his seclusion from the company, he missed them terribly. Since returning home, he had only talked to Winters, Lipton, and Griest, but it had been several months. He wanted to see them again.

Roe nodded and left his dinner as he walked through the hot and humid house. The Louisianan sun was beaming down on the earth relentlessly, causing him to sweat buckets; however, he liked the sun much better than the snow so he never complained, even on the hottest days. He nodded at Marie as he stepped outside. He expected it to be one of his co-workers, a friend, but he wasn't prepared for this.

"Hey, Doc." Griest smiled up at him as she shrugged her shoulders stiffly. "Long time no see."

"Chucky?" He uttered as his heart thumped loudly against his chest. The last time he had seen her, they had kissed before he went on his train. That had been almost four years.

She looked good; her skin was darker yet held onto its tiny frame. Her hair had been cut several inches so it went to her ribs instead of her waist, and was pulled back into a loose braid. She wore a pair of blue trousers and a white blouse. She looked great, but... Her face was harder than he remembered and cast in shadow, despite the bright sun. Her eyes were grey lined with green. Her cheeks were puffy and her hands were fists at her sides as she gnawed on her bottom lip.

"It's good to see you again," she said taking a small, hesitant step forward. God, she missed hearing Roe's voice and hearing her nickname. "How are you doing?"

He ignored her question, too shocked to think of anything other than her, "You look good. Still wearing pants, eh?"

Griest chuckled, "Well, once you've worn pants there's no going back." They stood there staring at each other awkwardly as Griest looked around at the house. It was modest sized with a small garden next to the lawn. There were tall trees behind the house as they stood fiercely like sentries.

"What are ya doing here, Chucky?" It had been years, and she had changed a lot, but simultaneously, she hadn't changed at all. She was gnawing on her lip as her hands were clutched in front of her; if she was wearing a helmet and sitting, it'd be on her kneecap. In its' place, however, she held a black hat tightly in her hands. It was satisfying to know Griest hadn't changed much; Roe would've chuckled if something wasn't bothering her.

"What four years isn't long enough to call for a visit?" She asked with a shrug but her voice cracked and her smile was too tight. The only other time Roe had seen her this hurt and stressed was at Landsberg.

"Chucky," he muttered as soft as a feather. She looked up at him as Roe pointed at her hands, "your hat..."

"You always did know me best," she admitted with a small smile before her face broke. Her lip began to quiver as tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She held herself tightly as she licked her lips and her mouth tried to form words.

"It's okay, Henrietta, it's okay," Roe cooed as he walked up to her and embraced her tightly. He never forgot how Griest fit perfectly in his arms, or how strong and soft she felt; she reminded him of a flower petal with the power of a bomb. She buried her nose into his shoulder as she took in a deep breath. He smelled good; he smelled like home. After a moment, Roe released her as she wiped at her nose.

"My mom's dead; she was hit by a drunk driver and that was it. Nothing's been working, Doc; my brother, my uncle, and my mother are dead. I came home to be treated as an unequal, and I lost my fight against that." She took in a deep, quivering breath and stood tall as she squared her shoulders, resembling the soldier she had been, and still was. "I'm leaving New York, Gene. I can't stay in the house when my family's all gone. I can't, I have too many ghosts as it is; I won't live with them. I won't, Gene. I..."

He nodded understanding her words perfectly; he had trouble seeing blood after the war. He had been Easy's medic, who bandaged and treated thousands of wounds, but he couldn't see blood anymore. He spoke gently as only Roe could, "Where are ya going to go?"

"I was thinking of going back to Vancouver; it's cold and far away, but I have good memories there. I can make a fresh start and no one will know who I am. The Pacific Coast Hockey League created a hockey team called the Canucks, and the arena is right beside this house I found, so..."

"Wait," Roe leaned forward as he gripped the hem of his sleeves between his fingertips. "You already found a house? Chucky, are you going back for sure? You're done thinking about it, aren't ya?"

Griest looked down as faces, too many to identify clearly, flashed in her mind as she bit her tongue. It had been a week since her mother's death and she had only spent four hours at the house. Griest called up Sandra and quit the women's rights group immediately; she hated to give up on a cause she believed in, but the fight in her was gone. She was laying down her rifle and retreating to live another day.

She ended up calling her mother's friend in Vancouver; she was the one who told Griest of the house and hockey team. It sounded like a good deal, one that wouldn't last long. Griest slowly looked up at him as her face turned red with shame and embarrassment.

"I can't stay in that house anymore, Eugene. This is a good opportunity for me; I already put in an offer and it sounds like I have a good chance of getting it. I came... I came to say goodbye, in person. I've missed you, like a lot, a lot, and I wanted to see you one last time before..." She sighed and rubbed her face in her hands. Her breath came out in a confused, angry, hurt growl.

She looked up and studied him for a brief moment; Roe looked taller, no longer like a boy in his father's clothes. His hair had grown slightly, but not as long as it was in Haguenau. His face was the same, but his eyes were more mature. They were still dark and burdened with memories, pain, guilt- his own personal ghosts, but they were also light with freedom and choice. His features were light as if the sun was shining on his face, as if his face was the sun. He was happy, she realized. She released a happy snort seeing the Eugene Roe who had been her best friend, her confidant, her rock, and her light. She glanced at his lips remembering the way they tasted as she recalled his fingers roaming through her hair. Oh, God, she had missed him.

"See ya, Doc." She raised a fist in the air and turned to leave, forcing herself to take each step, and feeling something inside herself fade. It felt as if her inner fire was growing darker and darker until it was only a flickering candle. She kept walking.

"Are ya fucking serious?" Roe hissed as Griest froze and looked over her shoulder. All throughout the war, she had never heard Roe say the word 'fuck'. He had sworn, but never to that extent. His eyebrows were drawn together as his hands were at his sides, but they were fists as his pale face turned red. He was pissed, and he wasn't done, "I hadn't seen ya for four years, then ya just show up out of the blue for five fucking minutes to tell me you're leaving? Jesus fucking Christ, Henri, you can't do that to me! It took me everything I had to come back to Louisiana instead of finding you a New York! Then you come to tell me you are leaving to fucking Canada! No, not like this! Jesus, I missed you so much; you can't walk away from me this time. Walking away from you was the worst thing I have ever done, and I won't let you do it to me!"

Griest leaned back, battling the small smile that poked at the corner of her lips. At first, she was scared, proud, and amused by Roe's outburst and constant swearing. He kept scrunching his nose as he pointed his finger in her face. Roe normally talked at a slower rate, but he just sped through his words in a single breath. She thought of Holland when he shouted at Welsh and Winters; she knew how they felt. She remained frozen as she stared up at him with wide, entertained eyes. He put his hands on his hips as he stood there, panting for a few seconds as his eyes widened in realization; it was as if he was just as surprised as she was.

"Are those your bags?" He asked pointing at the two suitcases beside her. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "Alright, you've had a long trip here, so you can spend a few days here until you figure out what you really want. If you still wanna go to Canada at the end of the week, then fine, I'll help move you there myself. Sound good?" She nodded again as Roe picked up her bags and led her into the house.

"Your wife won't mind?" Griest uttered once she finally found her voice. Her ears burned as she asked the question. She looked at the ground, glancing up at him hoping he wouldn't notice the colour in her cheeks.

"My what? I'm not married, Chucky."

"But the woman." Griest pointed to the door as Roe shook his head and closed the door behind them.

"That's my sister, Marie. Why'd you think I was married?"

"Oh, Luz came up to visit me a few months ago to get me those fancy, flaming desserts like he promised- they are totally overrated by the way," Roe nodded and grinned; he had heard of Luz's promise over the years; Griest was quite adamant that Luz never forgot and reminded him whenever she could, "and he told me that Babe told him, that Garcia told him, that Martin told him, that Perconte told him, that you married some British girl a few months after the war."

"No, I never married. You?"

"Not many men wanna date a chick who pulls off army boots better than they do," she answered with a wink. Roe grinned releasing a breath as opened up the door to the guest room. He placed her suitcases on the bed and backed away, watching her.

She slowly stepped into the room and looked around, but whatever anger she had the last few days was gone. It was still there bubbling beneath the surface, ready to spew at any moment, and her eyes were still dark and shrouded in pain, but there was some light on her face. Roe was glad she had never married; he heard from Lipton that she was seeing some police officer in New York, but never anything solid. His gaze scanned her and traced her lips and frame.

"I'll let ya get settled," he muttered as he forced himself to look away and his ears burned. He didn't trust himself to stand there much longer. "Let me or Marie know if you need anything. Oh, and, Chucky," they both paused and looked at another as a smile danced on Roe's face. She loved his smile. "It's really good to see you again. I'm glad you're staying."

Griest had felt as if she had been wearing her parachute, her gear, and was carrying all of Easy the past few years, but all that went away when Roe invited her inside. Her candle, her spark roared in a way she hadn't felt since she watched Winters vanish through the window of a cab. She never realized how much of herself was tied to her men. She beamed and nodded.

"Yeah, me too."

Griest stayed longer than a week. The pair never felt any awkwardness or uncertainty as they joked, laughed, and hung out just like they used to do. They explored the Louisiana countryside, something Griest had never seen or experienced before. She had to buy some shorts and t-shirts; she had packed for the cold, icy Canadians winters, not for the south. They talked about the old days but ignored the bad things; they talked about the jokes, the good times, the men, and the laughs they all had. It felt as if they had never been separated.

After four months, they were married.

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" _ **Tell the world I'm coming home. Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday. I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes. I'm coming home. I'm coming home. Tell the world, I'm coming home"- Coming Home, Skylar Grey**_

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 **Author's note (again): I mean absolutely no disrespect to the real men of Easy, or the families they had. In real life, Roe married a British woman named Vera. Originally, they were going to be married on June 6, 1944, but it had to be postponed because of D-Day. They were married in July of 1945 in England, with a taxi driver and some random stranger as witnesses. Together, they had three children, two girls and a boy, but were divorced 27 years later. Roe remarried 5 years later. Yeah... I think that's everything for now. Thanks for reading and let me know what you guys think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

 **Hey guys, so next chapter, hope you guys like it. This fanfiction will be different from the first one, because it is about her getting back into a civilian life and moving on from the way; also, because of that, the chapters will be shorter. Yeah, I think that's everything. A huge, huge, huge thank you to everyone who has read this story and commented; it really does mean a lot- and I know I say that a lot, but it's true. Alright, that's enough yapping from me; thanks and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

" _ **I know you don't believe it, but I said it and I still mean it. When you heard what I told you. When you get worried, I'll be your soldier-" Soldier by Gavin DeGraw**_

* * *

The night before the wedding, Easy Company assembled to celebrate. Griest and Roe decided to have a bachelor night together as the majority of their friends were mutual. Most of the company attended except Sobel, who everyone regarded with anger, frustration, and grudging respect and gratitude- if it weren't for him, many more of Easy would have been buried in some nameless grave- Sink, who was busy, and Talbert, whom everyone had lost contact with after the war. They rented out the local hall and filled it as the men talked, drank, and danced the night away. It was the first time most of Easy had seen each other since the war.

"Great to see you both again," Guarnere began as he shook both of their hands. After the war, Bill married his longtime girlfriend and worked odd jobs. He had recovered and completed his rehabilitation, and now wore an artificial leg; although, he hated it and ditched it whenever he had the chance. He was happy and the same old Guarnere, something Griest was happy to see. Guarnere had always been a pillar of strength and courage for her.

"Good to see you too, Bill," Griest muttered as Guarnere looked out to the dance hall where the men were dancing with their wives and girlfriends. Guarnere flashed her a wink and hobbled over to his wife before taking her hand and pulling her onto the dance floor. Griest grinned as she walked over to a table covered in various foods from meat and cheese, to dessert and vegetables. Not surprisingly, most of the meat and desserts were lacking.

Griest turned her back to the table and watched her friends and family. Since returning to Roe, a huge part of her had returned; she felt as if she had woken up after a horrible four year dream, but it wasn't the same. Here, being surrounded by Easy Company, that was enough. She relished in the sounds of their laughter, the clinking of glasses, and the bubbles of alcohol that buzzed in the back of her throat and warmed her cheeks. The men weren't screaming, dying, crying, or praying... Her vision blurred into Carentan, of the men as tank rounds exploded beside her, ripping a man's arm clean from his shoulder. No, the laughter suited her just fine.

"Hey, Chucky, who's the hot girl over there?" Griest tore her gaze away from her nightmares and looked at Malarkey and Nixon. She followed their gazes as a smirk danced on her coloured lips.

"That's Grace; I went to school with her for a year. You guys back off," she warned in a gruff tone, "she's not used to sex driven military men, especially not paratroopers!"

The men began laughing as they raised their glasses to the sky. Malarkey wandered off with Lipton, but Nixon remained frozen as he continued to watch Grace with a strange look on his face. His eyes were glassy as they followed Grace's figure. His mouth was open in a mystified awe as his cheeks turned red.

"Grace, you said?" He repeated gently, as if talking to a baby. Griest nodded as her eyebrows drew together while her snarl turned into a grin. Roe joined them and wrapped his arms around her as Griest kissed the back of his hand.

"Uh huh, she's really nice. You should go talk to her; she looks kind of lonely." Nixon snapped his head up as he stared at Griest with wide eyes. The female paratrooper nodded. "Malarkey looks like he's about to bug her; why don't you scare him and everyone else away?"

Nixon looked back to Grace where Malarkey and a few others were circling her like vultures. He nodded shyly then joined Grace. Roe and Griest watched carefully as Nixon gently shook her hand and spoke in a soft, gentle tone. Grace smiled and nodded before following Nixon to the open dance floor.

"Ahh, come on, Chucky, you let Nixon take her?" Toye complained as he and the other men shook their heads and cursed at Nix.

"I didn't let them do anything," she corrected, "that was all up to Grace; she made her decision." Griest looked back to the pair. Nixon was holding Grace tightly and securely as her hand rested gently on his shoulder. They were both smiling and laughing as their eyes light up like the night sky.

Griest smiled remembering the pain, desolation, and horror on Nix's face at Landsberg. She swallowed hard as the memory left her shaking and cold, gripping Roe's arm even tighter. She was happier with the smile and look of content of the captain's face.

"Ah, Chucky," Luz hooted as he stepped beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he flashed Roe a wink. A half-empty beer bottle was in his hands as he swayed on his feet with red, buzzed eyes. He kissed her cheek as Griest scrunched up her nose as his alcohol smelling breath assaulted her. Roe chuckled. "I have missed you soooo much, girl! You know, I always wanted my wifey to meet you, but never could get to New York. So, 'ere we are."

"It's good to see you too, George. How much have you had to drink?"

He giggled as a burp escaped him, "Oops. I lost count. Why, you have more?" He looked at Roe as he released Griest and attached himself to Roe.

"And you!" Luz hiccupped. Roe tensed as the sergeant pulled him in close, causing Griest to chuckle. "You, sly dog! We always knew you and Chuck would get hitched, but after hearing nothing for so long, we were thinking it wouldn't happen. Now, now, I know- you paying attention, Doc? Good. I know you're our medic and all that, but that's my little sister right there, so you treat-" _hiccup,_ "treat her right, or you and I will have a loooong chat."

"Okay, Luz," Lipton called as he stepped up and peeled the drunk sergeant off. "Let's getting you seated."

"But, Loo, I'm talking to-to-to... Chucky and Doc."

"I know but you look like you could use some water..." Lipton continued as he led Luz away, flashing the pair a wink. Griest mouthed a thank you as her cheeks burned and her eyes watered. She had missed the war; not the killing or the fighting, but the comradeship and her boys. Seeing them every day and joking with them. She almost wanted to go back in time to the day she first laid eyes on the company. She had thought they looked snotty and presumptuous, which they were, but they were so much more than that. She shivered; what kind of person was she if she was wishing for the war?

"You alright?" Roe muttered gently, his warm voice vibrating through the air. She took in a small breath and nodded.

"Hey, can you handle everyone in here? I wanna talk to Winters." Roe nodded as she quickly kissed his hand and wandered off to find her leader. After the Incident- that's all it ever was in her mind, she never thought about it too hard or too long; it was just the Incident, nothing more and nothing less- she had hated physical contact. But, after seeing Roe, all she ever wanted to do was hold him or feel him against her. She guessed after all those years of holding her affections back, she was making up for lost time.

She found Winters sitting down with Lipton, Welsh, and Speirs. Unlike most of Easy, Speirs had remained in the military after the war, so he still wore his uniform. Other than the few extra lines on his face, he looked exactly the same.

"Hey, Winters, could I talk to you outside?" Her voice trembled slightly. It was unusual for her to make such requests, it made her nervous. Winters nodded and followed her, after the other congratulated her and told her the wedding was a long time coming.

"Is everything okay, Chucky?" Winters asked as Griest leaned against a railing, breathing in the humid air. The sun had set long ago as the moon rose high into the sky like a chariot. Stars littered the sky as if someone had thrown them to create a perfect, unorganized mess. It calmed her. She thought of her mother and looked down at her runners, chewing on her lip.

"Sir, I have no father, and I never did. I don't know what he looks like, what his name is, or if he knows who I am. I guess my point is, I never knew what a father was supposed to be, until I met you. You looked out for me, for us all, and. God, I'm not doing this very well," she chuckled nervously as she kicked at the dirt.

Winters smiled down at her and placed a hand on her shoulder after a moment's hesitation. To his surprise _,_ she never jumped back or punched him in the face, but looked up at him with an open expression. Winters spoke gently, "It's okay, Chucky."

"I was wondering if you could walk me down the aisle? You don't have to if you don't want to, or it's too awkward or something, I just thought-"

"Henri," she stopped her rambling and looked up at him as he cracked a smile. "I would be honoured to."

* * *

" _ **It's not just an archaic symbol flying in the wind. There are real stories, real sacrifices, and real families still living in the red, white, and blue"- Taya Kyle**_

* * *

Roe was a simple man with simple needs. He enjoyed life but never pushed for the extremes; he was happy with where he was. If you told a six year old Roe he would fight in Europe, jump out of airplanes, treat and save people in the harshest environments known to man, survive World War 2, and then marry his fellow paratrooper, he would have stared at you and asked what a paratrooper was. He never expected this from his life, but then again, he never looked forward too much.

His stomach was twisting in his gut as he stared at his polished shoes, trying to regain control of his heart. He could run through a war zone without batting an eye, but his own wedding? He was sweating buckets. He hoped it wouldn't soak through his suit.

"You regretting this already?" He smiled as he looked up at his soon-to-be wife. She was wearing a beautiful white dress that fell to the ground, hiding her feet and pale legs. The bodice was decorated with some lace that kissed the tops of her collar bones. Griest had never wanted anything too flashy; to be perfectly honest, she would have been happiest wearing her grade A uniform, but...

Her hair was brushed to the right side of her face and pulled back into various curls. The rest of her hair was secured in a thick bun at the base of her neck. It gave her an elegant yet empowered look; like she could kick your ass and look good while doing it. Her makeup was carefully placed by Guarnere's wife, in a way that emphasized her green orbs and long eyelashes.

"Wow," Roe breathed as he glanced down at his own black suit as he tugged at his cuffs. He glanced at the lock of black hair that was dangling between his eyes and swiped at it, causing Griest to laugh. Roe looked back at her and licked his lips, "Isn't it bad luck to see the bride?"

"Maybe." She shrugged as she stepped beside him and leaned against the stone railing. "But I've never been one for superstition, that's Perco's department. You all good?"

"Of course, you?"

"Yeah," she breathed deeply as Roe swiped at his hair once again. "Jeez, Eugene, it looks fine. Don't worry about it."

"Not as good as you, I bet. Might have to remind those boys you're mine."

"Believe me, after today they'll never forget. Hey, Roe, check this out," she hiked up her dress to show off her ratty, brown combat boots. Roe laughed. "What? They're more comfortable than the shoes my aunt wanted me to wear, and this is more me." She paused. "Are you nervous?"

He nodded. "But not because I'm having second thoughts, Henri. I want this, I'm just worried..."

"About what?"

"What if I'm not good enough for you or-" Griest kissed him and stepped back.

"Roe, if you're not good enough for me, then, God, I really am dying alone. You're the best guy I know. I mean, we've both been through some bad shit and seen the Devil himself. You've been with me through all that, so I think we can get through anything, right?"

"Yeah." He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek once again.

"Excuse me, Chucky, we're all waiting for you." They both looked back at Winters, who was surrounded by Griest's 'bridesmaids': Luz, Lipton, Guarnere, and Bull. Beside them were Roe's own groomsmen: Babe, Speirs, Malarkey, and Buck. They had made Skip and Penkala honorary members of their bridal parties, a fact that made Malarkey bawl.

"Go," Roe uttered gently. Griest smiled and followed after the guys as they razzed her and complained about the breaking of traditions. Roe smiled as he exhaled deeply. She was right; they had always been there for another during the war, and this would be no different; except, after today, he would never have to let her go again.

And he never did.

* * *

" _ **People that spend time in a foxhole- they're never going to find that relationship anywhere else again... Everything else pales next to that. When you think about the Second World War vets- more than even the Vietnam vets- there's a brotherhood"- Sylvester Stallone**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

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" _ **Those memories are stuck in there and they will come to the surface"- Chris May**_

* * *

" _Eugene!" Blood, fire, smoke, death. Warm blood spurted through his fingers, uncontrollably like a wild river. What remained of Guarnere's leg quivered on the snow; his flesh looking like fresh hamburger meat. Flies buzzed all over the dead bodies as the maggots ate away at the remains of a boy's face. He looked to be ten years old, but who knew with the Landsberg prisoners. The boy morphed into the body of an American soldier. The rotting flesh assaulted his nose as he pulled the boots off the stiff feet. Toye needed these more than he did._

 _An explosion. A dying scream. A night sky alive with the fire and tracer rounds, like fireworks. Hall._ _Kiehn_ _. The smoking boot- the only remains of either Penkala or Muck, no one knew which. Gunfire. A panicked cry. A white explosion. A blue square amongst the shattered pillars, rubble, and blood._

 _"Eugene, chocolat. Pour vous."_

"Ahh! My- my hand!"

"You'll be okay, Frank! Here, drink this. Umm, Joe, get the truck! Gene, whaddya we do? Gene? Gene?"

Gene blinked but the memories, the sights and smells stayed with him. He couldn't feel Frank's crushed hand, that was cradled in his lap; he felt Jackson's hour old blood, snow, dead flesh, and the bile that jumped to the back of his throat. It was sunny, but all he felt was winter's vicious teeth sinking into his hands, and the snow that clawed at his cheeks.

No, it was too much. No more. He couldn't handle it. Lord, take all the pain away.

He dropped Frank's hand, not hearing Frank's agonized screams. He stood up and ran through the construction site. He hadn't ran that fast since... He couldn't remember, but he knew it had been dark and cold. Very old.

Concerned faces for the injured worker blurred past him; but, he didn't see them. He didn't even hear the cool voice of his wife or feel her fingers brush his sides as he bolted past her.

 _BOOM. Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat._

No more. No more. He'd rather be in a butcher's shop. No more, please!

"Roe!" Griest shouted after him as he cut across the street and vanished from sight. She didn't expect him to answer. He had that blank look in his eyes, like a deer-in-the-headlights.

"Ahh! Fuck!" She forced her legs to propel her towards the cries, and away from her husband. Roe would be okay. He had to.

A worried crowd had already gathered around the moaning man. Each spectator mumbled to another, but they all neglected to offer any assistance; after all, it was more entertaining to watch. Griest pushed her way through the sweating, muscular mass of masculinity to find Frank, a 300 pound man of pure muscle, holding his hand at his chest. Michael was beside him, comforting the giant while pointing fingers at people, and assigning them tasks. He had already sent one of the men to get his truck.

"Henri! I-I don't know where Gene went. What do we do?" Griest crouched in front of the pair and inspected Frank's hand. It had been caught in some of the machinery. It had crushed the bones, and pushed some of the meat out of his skin, like an overflowing sausage. She nodded, ignoring Frank's blubbering and the drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. It was a painful injury no doubt, but he'd survive with only a few scars and a bad memory, like a bad taste in the back of your throat. He'd be able to go back to work.

"You'll be fine," she assured with a nod. "Michael, get him to the hospital. He'll be fine." Michael nodded and cooed softly at Frank, but Griest had already stood up and had turned her attention elsewhere.

"Manny, where's Gene?" She glanced at their foreman as her eyes scanned the crowd, but there was no Eagle.

"Dunno," he replied in a heavy French accent. Since moving to Louisiana, Roe had taught Griest some French; she was a fast learner, but had difficulties with the various rules and used the wrong verbs. "He ran outta here pretty fast when he saw Frank's hand. It ain't pretty, but I thought he was a medic. Thought he would have seen worse."

Manny, like most of their co-workers, had never seen combat. Some of them had been in training but that was as far as they would go. Manny and others had been deferred for working in critical civilian jobs, like the steel plant. They accepted Griest into their work when they saw how determined and capable she was, but agreed to keep her away from the heavy lifting. They even accepted the truth that she had fought in the war, along with her husband. The guys tried to get the Eagles to tell their war stories, but they both refrained. Those were their demons, and theirs alone.

Griest gave him a look, wrinkling her nose as a cloud of cigarette smoke hit her. She sputtered, then spoke calmly and sternly like a mother scolding her child, "That's the problem. I'm gonna find him."

"Sure. Hey, take the day off. He didn't look too good."

Griest hated the cold; the mere thought of it made her fingers pulse. She had no idea how she would have made it in Canada if she had moved back; however, she wasn't overly fond of the heat. She was a permanent colour of pink and her skin was tender to the rough linen she wore. Sweat was always pooled at her back while the humidity stole her breath and made her dizzy. The bugs constantly bit her to form sensitive, itchy bumps on the already tender skin; bumps she would scratch, leaving pea-sized scars all over her body. Either that, or the bugs swarmed her, no matter how recently she had showered. She hated it, but Eugene liked it. It- bugs, burns, and all- was her home.

Griest knew exactly where to find him. It was the reason they had bought their house; it was in walking distance. They could hear the herons from their bedroom.

The lagoon was oddly quiet as she approached it. It was as if the creatures could sense the turmoil within the walking wounded, and decided not to test it. The area around the lagoon was cooler, a small pocket that normally made Griest sigh and smile. But not today. She found Roe sitting on the grass, facing the smooth as glass water.

She sat down next to him as the grass poked and stabbed at the backs of her bare legs, irritating the mosquito bites as the sunlight reflected off the lake, glaring right into her eyes. _Of course, it did._

She remained silent, feeling his rampant thoughts that made the air grow hotter and hotter. Damn, she'd get another burn from this. When would her skin adapt and realize the sun was here to stay? She was a Canuck through and through.

"Frank's gonna be okay," she finally said, pulling her knees to her chest, catching a whiff of herself. Her nose wrinkled as she leaned back, away from her underarms.

Griest glanced at him and felt something within her drop. Roe was sitting cross-legged as she stared at the ratty, baby blue cloth he clutched tightly in his hands. He had that thing for years; she remembered it from Bastogne and wondered what it meant. It must've meant something for him to hold onto it. The muscle in his jaw flexed as he clenched his molars together. His bloodless lips pressed together into a thin, straight line. His shoulders were slumped and there was a shadow on his face, regardless of the blinding light. His eyes were black, giving no indication that he heard her, or even knew she was there.

"Eugene?" Nothing. She looked forward as her vision blurred and her bottom lip bobbed. Julian's ghost smiled at her and offered her a grey napkin. It had bullet holes and was stained with his coppery blood. Her eyes rose to his throat where his ivory windpipe quivered with every non-existent breath. She jerked her gaze back to the lagoon, searching for the solace her husband found. A mosquito bit her arm.

"They make it sound so easy, don't they? Pick up a rifle, fight, kill, win, go home, and go on as if it never happened. The sights, the sounds... Just keep moving. Oh, you can't stand the smell of smoke? Too bad. Keep calm and carry on, right? Fucking bastards, they should try it." She felt Roe turn his gaze to her as she wiped at her nose and continued on as a tear rolled down her burnt cheeks, "I... I keep seeing them. I see them all. Even the ones who weren't ours. Hall. Tipper. Blithe. Julian..." _A-7731._

 _"It's gonna be a cold one..."_

"Skip, Penkala, and... Aaliyah." _Blue eyes._ "I dream about them, and their deaths- Luz, Speirs, Winters, and you; I see your deaths, and I can't stop it. I'm the only one left, and- and I can't get away. I'm drowning!" She broke off as a sob shook her body. When the ghosts were too much, she used to turn to the bottle, but after her mother's death... She felt sick.

"I patched up so many people. Bullet holes, amputations, protruding intestines; I never batted an eyelash. But, that crushed hand... It made me see it all over again," Roe uttered, releasing a shaky breath as Griest pressed her side against him. She could feel his taut muscles flex as he pressed his cheek against her forehead, kissing her gently.

They sat there, lending another strength as their tears dried and the sun sank lower into the sky. Eventually, the sun had vanished with only the last of its' golden fingers reaching up into the blue-black sky. The birds and grasshoppers began clicking and singing as the night creatures came to life, announcing their return to the world. The air around them finally cooled off as goose bumps covered Griest's exposed skin.

"You alright?" She whispered, kissing his temple lightly, intertwining her fingers in his. She knew every peak and valley, every callous, and every scar.

"They'll come back." His voice quivered slightly in a way Griest had never heard before. She nodded, turning her storming gaze to the dancing fireflies.

"Yes. They always do." Jackson's ghost smiled at her, his clothes stained with blood. He had an ash colour doll in his scarlet hands.

"How do you make them go away?" Griest met his eyes. They were a deep blue, the same colour as the night sky but shadowed in darkness; a darkness shared between every veteran, no matter the war. Roe was always confident and sure; he wasn't supposed to look like that.

She blinked away more tears and exhaled as she rested her head on his shoulder. There was once a time they had sat under the stars and she had asked Roe the same question. But, there was only so much you could do to push your nightmares away.

"You acknowledge them," she began slowly, "you never forget them, but you- you forgive yourself. You did everything you could, Eugene." She pointed at the cloth in his hands.

He chuckled, "Is that all?"

Griest smiled, "Yeah, I'll tell you how to create world peace next, smart ass. But, you also rely on your loved ones and hold them close. You never let them go. Don't let me go." She kissed each of his fingers, caressing the scar on his knuckle. He got it from a pair of scissors; he'd been cutting a man's shirt when the man thrashed his arms, hitting Roe's hand, and making him cut himself.

"It helps?" Roe pulled her into his lap, nuzzling her neck. She thought for a moment then nodded.

"More than anything. Come, I'll show you." She pulled Roe to his feet and held him tightly so she could feel the heat coming off his skin. It smelled like warmth and oak wood. It smelled like Eugene Roe. "Let's go home."

Roe allowed himself a grin as Griest winked pressing herself against him. They walked hand in hand, sneaking kisses and soft touches.

Nine months later, Griest gave birth to their first child.

For a girl who joined the army, killed Nazis, and wore trousers, pregnancy was not easy. She ballooned out, so she could no longer work at the construction site. With Roe at work, she only had Marie, Roe's sister, to help her around the house. When you considered the humidity, the bugs, the heat, and the hormones, she was not a happy camper.

Finally, in 1950, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He was a small baby with soft, red skin and tiny fingers. His head was covered in some black hair while his eyes were a bright grey-green colour. His first cries were the most beautiful sound Griest had ever heard.

"Oh my god," she breathed, smiling brightly as she held her son to her chest. Her face resembled her son's as her hair stuck to her cheeks and forehead, sticky with sweat. The hours of labour and pain were forgotten as she smiled at her boy. Who knew a soldier, a killer like her could create something so pure?

"Gene, Gene, meet your son." Eugene had endured her death threats and her screams as she squeezed the blood out of his hand. He sat on the bed beside her, beaming down at the life they had created.

"Hey-" His voice broke as a tear rolled down his cheek. "Hey, buddy." Roe reached down and gripped their baby's tiny hand as Griest held the suckling babe to her breast. Roe felt another tear roll down his face as he leaned down and kissed Griest's cheek. "He's perfect. Thank you."

It took them awhile before they settled on a name. They wanted it to mean something and stand for good. They considered naming him after a fallen Eagle- Alex, Skip, or John, but they both agreed it would be too painful. Eventually, they made their choice; and, they realized as they held their precious boy, it was the perfect name.

"Welcome to the world, Adam. Adam Christopher Roe."

Adam would not be an only child. Two years later, they had a daughter with a thick head of her mother's strawberry blonde hair, and her father's thoughtful black eyes that turned a deep blue in the light. Unlike her brother, she did not scream, but watched everyone, particularly, her father, mother, and brother.

"Duke!" Adam called, stroking her hair gently under the supervision of his parents.

"We're not naming her Duke, Adam. I don't care what Uncle Luz says," Griest reminded for the third time since her daughter's birth.

"Duke!" Adam giggled.

"No. Adrienne," Roe murmured, staring at his daughter in rapture as he balanced his bouncing son in his lap.

Adrienne Renee Roe.

Griest was right; the nightmares, the memories, the ghosts, they never went away. They were always there when things got the darkest, bringing up pain and horror that was better left in the past. However, she was also right. When Penkala wouldn't leave, or the smell of blood and death got too much, they held their children close and never let them go. In those moments, the world didn't seem so dark, and even the dead left them alone, for the moment anyways.

* * *

" _ **Often it isn't the initiating trauma that creates seemingly insurmountable pain, but the lack of support after"- Kelley Harrell**_

* * *

 **Author's note: PTSD and depression is a very serious disease that can cause an immesurable amount of pain. I have ever experienced it, but have seen the effects of it on people close to me, and on the news. If you have either one, please, please, PLEASE get help. Even just talking to a friend can help, if you feel you cannot talk to a friend, then send me a message and I will listen to anything that is going on in your life. Attitudes towards PTSD has changed so people are more accepting, but back then, it was seen as you being weak, but every soldier has the potential to suffer from PTSD, and not just soldiers. I think that is everything. Once again, let me know what you thought. This chapter was a little rushed because I just got off 4 night shifts, so I'm a little sleep deprived. Thanks for reading, have a good one, and please seek help if you need it!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

* * *

" _ **Much as soldiers come back, they've been in combat or the edge of it and suddenly that adjustment to civilian life is a real challenge"- Mark Dayton**_

* * *

"Momma! Momma! Come on!" Adam squealed as he dragged his mother up the hill where other families had gathered under the dark, starry sky. The smell of beer greeted them as glowing cigarette butts burned on the night, marking the way. "We're gonna miss it! Hurry, Adri!"

Adrienne hurried after them, urged on by her brother's calls. Her small, pudgy legs pumped as Roe picked the three year old and placed her on his shoulders. Her baby cheeks resembled small tennis balls as she beamed brightly. Although she rarely vocalized her joys, like her brother, she showed her glee in her sparkling eyes. Not even the stars could content with her light.

"We're not going to miss it." Griest rolled her eyes but smiled at Roe. It was the children's first time watching the Fourth of July fireworks; they had tried the previous year, but the kids couldn't stay awake long enough and could never be roused once they fell asleep, not that Griest complained. She and Roe were sound asleep too.

"I'm gonna stand right there with John. That okay, Momma?" Adam pointed to his friend and neighbour. Griest nodded. "Come on, Adrienne!"

"Eh, eh," she muttered, kicking her legs as Roe placed her back onto the soft grass. Immediately, she ran after her brother, almost tripping over her own feet. Griest sighed and crossed her arms, smiling at her children's shadows and their high-pitched squeals.

Then the sky exploded.

"Shit!" Muck shouted as anti-aircraft artillery filled the sky. The plane bounced like a warm hockey puck as Griest's butt lifted off the seat before landing down hard, her equipment pinching into her skin and tightening around her chest. She couldn't breathe.

She looked up and met Guarnere's eyes as the white-yellow light flared, clearing his face of every shadow. His brown eyes were wide in fear. Her stomach flopped as she bounced out of her seat and landed into the tiny aisle, smacking her chin on someone's knee. Blood filled her mouth. She was jostled back to the ground as she tried to push herself upright, keeping her eyes on the jump light. If that went on, she'd get trampled and trip everyone on their way out. They'd all be stuck in this overgrown tomb because she couldn't push herself upright. She tried again but landed hard on her stomach. She cried out, but her voice was lost in the carnage and rage of war and fire. Tears prickled her eyes.

"Get down!" A voice cried, somehow being heard over the loud growl of the engines. Griest ducked her head down as the side of the plane got peppered. Light from the tracer rounds and fire streamed inside, stinging her eyes. A piece of metal whizzed past Griest's ear, pinging the side of her helmet. Maybe being on the ground wasn't so bad. A person screamed in pain, but Griest didn't focus on that.

"Let's go!" Suddenly she was falling through the air, shielding her eyes as a nearby plane exploded, shooting fire and metal out in all directions. Bullets shredded through a nearby paratrooper as his warm blood hit her face. It was all that was left of him; that, and the tattered remains of his parachute.

 _Where's Doc? And Luz? They have to be okay. They have-_

 _BANG!_ A white light filled her vision, burning her eyes and temporarily blinding her. She wanted to cover her face as the urge to cry overcame her again.

Then the sky turned black as Griest was suddenly stumbling down the dirt road. She had more to drink than she had thought. A chuckle escaped her. Then, she spotted a dark shadow following close behind her. She picked up her pace as another shadow appeared, then another, and another.

 _I just need to get to the barracks. Get to the guys._ She slid Toye's brass knuckles on as she flexed her hand, muttering curses under her breath; they were forcing her away from the barracks. Eventually, she was pinned against an abandoned warehouse on the far side of camp. One of the shadows stepped forward, laughing darkly. She recognized the laugh as her eyes widened and her heart threatened to stop. His lips pulled back to reveal long, white teeth. It was all she could see. A whimper escaped her lips.

"Tell me, Private. What does a screaming eagle say?"

 _No more! Stop! Please!_

A joyous laugh forced her to move her hands to her sides. That sound did not belong in Hell. The fire, the planes, the burning parachutes, _him,_ it was all gone; instead, there were families and giggling children, the smell of chips and alcohol. But, her fluttering heart, her clenched fists, and the sweat rolling down her back remained. She blinked. Where was Luz and Guarnere and Muck and Skip and Toye and Winters? Where were her helmet and her rifle? Why was she wearing shorts?

"That's so cool!" A little boy's voice squealed, pulling at something in her heart. She knew that voice.

 _BOOM!_

"Incoming! Get in your foxholes!" Snow and frozen icicles nipped and cut at her skin. Her fingers burned and pulsed as the ground shook and the sky exploded. Dirt and branches rained from the heavens as Griest jumped into the closest foxhole, gripping her rifle tightly.

"Take cover! Get down!" Lipton shouted as Griest peeked out from her hole; Lip, he needed to get into a hole.

"Chucky, why don't you spend the night with us? It's gonna be a cold one." Skip smiled at her as Penky nodded. Why the hell were they talking about that in the middle of an attack? She opened her mouth to yell at them, but she couldn't. She wanted to hold them tightly and keep them close. The hell?

"Momma!" She looked out of her hole where a boy with Roe's hair and face, but her eyes, ran towards her.

 _Adam, my son._ What the fuck was he doing in Bastogne? She jumped out of the hole, forgetting all about Penkala and Skip, and sprinted towards her boy. She grabbed him and shielded his boy from the falling debris.

"Momma, isn't this so cool? Did you see that one? The red one was so loud!" He laughed as Adrienne joined them, giggling as she wrapped her arms around Griest's leg.

"Pretty fireworks," Adrienne chuckled, flinching when an 88 shell exploded.

 _No,_ Griest realized, _a firework._ The snowy forest was replaced by a hill near her home. Her home. _Roe._

"Where's your father?" Griest asked sternly, gripping Adam's shoulders. Her vision blurred back to the snow and hell of Belgium. No, she couldn't fall back. Roe needed her. She gripped her son harder, grounding herself as she repeated her question through gritted teeth, "Where. Is. Your. Father?"

"Right there." Another firework erupted as Adri and Adam laughed. Griest followed Adam's finger to the back of the crowd of _oooing_ spectators. Roe had his hands as fists at his sides, but it was his eyes. Even from Griest's spot, several feet away, she knew they would be raging and ready. Lost and afraid. Roe needed her.

She stepped towards him as her mind flickered between the present and her memories. One moment, she was in Louisiana and the next, she was walking through Carentan, dodging Kraut bullets, artillery, and exploding buildings.

Then she was back at Bastogne. Roe had wandered off again and hadn't come back. She was getting worried. A few minutes later, she told Lipton and the pair decided to look for the medic. She was glad they did. Three Germans were holding Roe and a wounded Garcia at gunpoint. The older Kraut barked at them, waving his gun inches from Roe's face. Blood spurted from Garcia's wounds as Roe pleaded gently.

Griest's blood boiled. She wasn't angry about Krauts threatening a medic who was treating a wounded man, although that was wrong and went against the unsaid agreement between the soldiers- well, most of the soldiers anyway. No, that Kraut was threatening Roe. She was going to kill him first.

 _No! You're home; you survived the war. Roe, your husband, needs you. You're home. You're home._

"Eugene," she croaked, grabbing his shoulders as she gripped his shirt between her fingers.

"Chucky?" He blinked slowly, trapped in his own mind. "We have to get outta the open. Come-"

"Gene, it's not real!" A firework made her flinch as she rested her forehead against his chest. _It's not real. It's not real._ "Roe, we're home with our children! Remember? Adam and Adrienne. We're home."

"Henrietta." He looked up at her, and really saw her as his chest rose and fell. "Are you okay?"

She blinked away a naked skeleton with a tattooed forearm. The flashes of light became 88s on Christmas Eve. It wasn't real. Roe, she clutched him even tighter, noting how his fingernails bit into her wrists. He was real.

"Umm, Mrs. Roe?" Griest whirled around, reaching for her knife, but paused when she realized it wasn't a Kraut. It was John's mother. The woman glanced at both Easy vets before she cleared her throat and continued, "Are you both alright? I could bring Adam and Adrienne home if you want."

 _BOOM!_ An arm landed next to her as she stared at it. She never even warned him. She just grabbed Luz and moved. She had left him to die.

"Yes!" Tears streamed down her face as she nodded vigorously. "Yes, please! Thank you."

Griest held onto Roe with a vise-like grip as they made their way home. They both led another and freed another from their nightmares; never letting go of the other once.

They could still hear the fireworks and see the flashes through the windows. So, they closed all the blinds, retreated into their bathroom, and turned on the shower. The sound of the falling water masked the fireworks. She looked up as Roe's soft voice echoed through the small room, "I seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, or to be loved as to love with all my heart."

The words calmed Griest as Roe pulled her in close and rested his head against the top of her head. He had whispered those same words at Bastogne, and again on the rooftop; it had carried them both through so much, and it would carry them through much more. He repeated his mantra as his chest vibrated, easing her frantic heartbeat. After a while, the thunder grew quieter and less frequent.

"You okay, Henri?"

She exhaled slowly and looked up from the floor. She felt like she was going to throw up. "I'm fine. You?"

He nodded, twisting a lock of her hair around his finger. "Want to go to bed?"

It had been several minutes since they heard the last firework, and the memories had overcome them. She nodded, grimacing as her knees popped when she stood up and turned the water off. She stumbled on her numb, bloodless feet, but Roe caught her, smiling warmly.

Their bed was warm as Griest buried herself under the comforter. Then, she settled her head on Roe's chest and traced patterns on his skin. She loved how her body fit his; it was as if they were made for each other.

"You good?" He repeated gently, kissing the top of her head as his own fingers made circles against her bare stomach.

"No more fireworks until New Years, right?"

He opened his mouth, but Adam's voice filled the house. "Mommmmmaaaa!" He burst into the room with his sister in tow. "Did you see it? It was so cool, right, Papa? My favourite was the red one. What about you, Adri? What was your favorite?"

"I like the green one."

"So you both had fun? Did you thank John's mom?" Griest raised an eyebrow as the kids crawled onto the bed, snuggling between their parents.

"Yes, we did." Adam continued rambling before promptly falling asleep. Adrienne snored softly as Roe pulled the blanket up to her chin, and tucked Adam in. Griest smiled gently feeling her own eyelids grow heavier and heavier. Roe gripped her hand and kissed her temple as she pressed herself into him, ignoring the elbow that was jabbing into her side, and the small body pressing against her bladder.

"With all my heart," Roe murmured, sending tingles up and down her spine, as his low, euphoric voice lulled her further into sleep.

"With all my heart."

* * *

 _ **"Remembering is easy, it's forgetting that's hard"- Brodi Ashton**_

* * *

 **Author's note: so this had to deal with similar themes to the last chapter, but I liked them both and Adam's and Adrienne's age made it impossible to fit elsewhere. Once again, if you are dealing with PTSD, PLEASE seek help. I know I am a few days early, but I'm going to starting five night shifts in a row, and won't have a chance to post on Friday, so if I don't respond to your comments, it's because I am sleeping. A huge, huge, HUGE thank you to everyone who has commented; it really helps and it's nice talking to new people. Let me know what you guys think and if there's anything you think I should work on. The next chapter will probably be posted earlier as well, because I'm going to a family reunion/camping next weekend, but we'll see how it goes. Thanks for reading and have a good one!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

" _ **The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war"- Douglas MacArthur**_

* * *

"Adam!" Griest shouted as her eyes cut through the crowded park, searching for her eldest son. Adrienne and Roe were beside her as Roe tightened the baby blue coat around Adri's waist. The Louisiana sun hid behind a wall of thick grey clouds, dropping the temperature ten degrees at least. The wind turned cruel and frigid bringing the promise of rain, and lots of it. "Adam!"

"He couldn't have gotten far," Roe muttered standing to his feet, clutching Adrienne's small, chubby hand.

"I blame you," Griest hissed with a mischievous grin, promising trouble. She kept her eyes forward, searching for her son, only glancing at her husband.

"Me?" Roe huffed as the corner of his lips tilted upwards. "You're the one who had to be in the middle of everything."

"Ya, but you're the crazy medic who ran all over the place with bullets flying." Roe opened his mouth to reply when Adrienne tugged on his hand.

"I'm cold." Her teeth chattered against another while her dark blue, almost black eyes grew smaller with fatigue from a long afternoon at the park.

 _Oh, baby, you nothing about cold_ , Griest thought with a thankful smile, and she wasn't even thinking of her native home of Canada. Roe's grip tightened on her as he tucked his nose into the front of his jacket, as if he too was feeling Belgium's unforgiving winter. Griest flexed her fingers and nodded as she returned her attention to finding her adventurous ten year old.

Adam was a miniature version of his father with thick, black hair, a kind face, and sharp cheekbones. He'd be one the ladies would chase one day, or so Uncle Guarnere said. Griest agreed, and sooner rather than later. However, he inherited his mother's pale eyes and her spirit; he was always running off to battle some new foe, conquer some imaginary land, or hide from all-seeing eyes; but, he was no match for an Easy paratrooper, let alone two.

"There he is," Roe sighed right as Griest spotted him through the mass of laughing, crying, and shrieking children. He was sitting on a bench on the other side of the park. Yet, he was not alone. A man sat next to him, and the pair appeared to be in deep conversation as Adam nodded and waved his hands in the air with a wide smile.

Griest met Roe's eyes as her hand slipped under her waistband, brushing against her pocketknife. It was always by her side when she was out of the house; she even carried it to church when Roe brought her.

"Adrienne, stay with your father," Griest ordered stiffly as her muscles tensed and her shoulders hunched into her neck. Her face grew flat and a cold, malice gleam flashed in her eyes. Nothing had changed: Roe was the medic, and Griest was the rifleman.

Roe swallowed hard as something flickered in his dark, thoughtful eyes. It was not shame, anger, or resentment- he had seen Griest go into a lot worse and he stood by his role; it never bothered him that his wife was a better shot, that fact had saved him several times. It was a look of readiness and apprehension; he remembered what it was like to wait for the call he never wanted to hear. Roe gritted his teeth together and nodded, noting Griest's stark, silver eyes and the fire raging within them.

"Chucky," he called as Griest took two steps towards her child and the mysterious man. She looked back as Roe raised a fist to the sky. A smirk crossed her lips as she returned the gesture. Then, she turned and continued walking forward.

The joyful cries of children and the worrisome calls of parents faded into a dull hum as Griest focused on the man. He was older, she'd guess about fifty, with grey hair, a trim mustache, and thin, wire framed glasses that emphasized his squarish face. The man appeared tall and slim as he sat up straight with pride and confidence. He wore beige khakis, a white button-up shirt, and a brown jacket. His hands were clasped in front of him. One hand was a prosthetic.

"Momma!" Adam giggled as Griest turned her gaze to her son. At ten years old, Adam's frame held onto his baby fat while his eyes flowed with wonder and innocence. He was short for his age, but he would sprout soon.

"This is my mom," Adam explained to the man cheerfully as Griest studied the man once again, as he inspected her with the same cautious, ready eyes. She crossed her arms, hoping she looked daunting and powerful- it was easier to do with a uniform and a rifle. The man nodded at Adam's words wearing a bemused smile. His blue eyes ran over Griest, noting her stance and her readiness, the fire in the eyes. His eyes settled on her facial scar for a moment before he glanced down at Adam, smiling gently.

"My dad is over there with my little sister. She's only eight- two years younger than me. She's really quiet and kinda annoying, but I guess she's okay for a sister. She sometimes take my toys and sometimes-"

"Adam," Griest interrupted flatly, "it's time to go."

"But, Mom! This is my new friend Stefan Kowal."

 _I don't care if he's the fucking pope, we're going._ She bit the words back and shook her head, forcing a small smile, but it was cold.

"But, Stefan fought in the war too!" Adam continued with a toothy grin, "Just like you and Papa!"

"You fought in the second war?" The man, Stefan, asked with a mild accent. It was European, but Griest couldn't identify it exactly. Although the battles were distinct in her mind, the people and languages all seemed to mesh together. Except for the VanSlootens, they would always be separate in her mind. She wondered how they were doing and if Anna's husband survived, or if any of them survived the bombings.

"I did." Griest tilted her head upwards as she put all her weight on one leg, sticking the other one out. She had heard the disbelief, anger, and even fury others expelled when one of her children shared her military career. Maxwell Taylor had it right: very few believed her. She prepared herself for Stefan's laughter or anger, but he simply grinned and stood up.

"There's nothing quite like it, is there? You hate it, but love it simultaneously. Coming home and adapting is almost harder than anything you faced over there."

"Almost," she muttered dropping her eyes. She thought of her uncle's and mother's deaths, the frustrations due to her discrimination, the loneliness that almost ate her alive.

"What unit were you in? We heard rumours of a female American soldier, but we believed them to be the fantasy of a deprived boy."

"Easy Company of the 101st Airborne of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment." She beamed proudly as she held her head high; she would be a screaming eagle to the day she died.

"Chucky," Roe breathed questioningly as he joined them. Adrienne was glued to his leg, hiding her face while her eyes stared at the man's fake hand. But she wasn't afraid. Roe said Adri inherited her mother's 'soldier-mode'.

Griest took her gaze off her daughter and back to her husband. To anyone else, he looked composed with just a twinge of hesitancy, but Griest knew better. His eyes refused to leave her while his lips pressed together into a tight, straight line. His hand formed a fist at his side while the other was resting on Adrienne's shoulder. He was calm, but ready for a fight; her medic was ready to kick ass. It almost made her smile. His eyes searched hers, asking if she needed help.

"Gene," she began gently, nodding her head reassuringly, "this is Stefan Kowal. He fought in the war."

"That's my dad," Adam added with another childish, proud grin. "He's a medic; he and Mom were both paratroopers in Easy Company. That's how they met. She was a rifleman, but they became friends. They-"

"Adam," Griest interjected in a warning tone. The boy shut his mouth, but his grin only grew.

"A medic, eh? My best bud was a medic. Damn, he was good. I don't know how we would have survived without him." Stefan's eyes glazed over as his fake hand twitched. Griest nodded and took a small step towards Roe; she completely understood.

"Momma, I'm cold," Adrienne repeated, peeking out from behind her father's leg.

"This must be Adrienne," Stefan speculated as he knelt down before her. She tightened her grip on Roe's pants but refused to back down. She stared at the new stranger through her thick eyelashes and tilted her head curiously.

"This is not that cold. Bastogne was cold."

Griest inhaled deeply as Roe blinked and swallowed hard. An involuntary shiver raked through her body, as she remembered the frozen, unforgiving winds. Her fingers pulsed as she met Roe's eyes, tasting the ice and blood on her tongue.

" _Hey, Chucky, why don't you spend the night with us? It's going to be a cold one."_

"Kids, go play." They knew from her voice that it was not a request. She'd share the dangers of the world with them one day, but not yet, and not Bastogne. Bastogne needed to be seen to be understood. Adam made a face but took Adrienne's hand and led her to the swing set.

"You were at Bastogne?" Roe mumbled. Stefan nodded with a hard swallow.

"Yes. Coldest, most horrible place I've ever been. I think Hell would be a vacation."

"Is that how you lost your hand?" Griest hated when people stared and speculated at Toye's and Guarnere's amputations. If people were curious, they should just ask. She'd have to teach Adrienne that. Stefan held his hand up and nodded.

"Got this at the end of the Battle of the Bulge. Ended my military career, but this is nothing. A lot of friends died over there."

" _Luz! Luz, come on! Move-"_ Skip's and Penkala's voices echoed through her mind before fading into Toye's and Guarnere's mangled legs, and the crack of the bullet that killed Hoobler. Roe stiffened beside her as his hand went to his pocket, searching for the stained, blue cloth he always kept close. Everyone had lost something at Bastogne, some of it, however, was not physical.

"Ya," Griest nodded smelling the gunpowder, blood, fear, and burnt flesh.

"What unit were you in?" Roe changed the subject quickly as the three veterans visible relaxed. It was not uncommon for different units to not recognize another. The men created tight bonds with those in their regiments and command. Other than trading information, sharing a drink at a bar, or exchanging fantasies of beautiful women, the men stuck to themselves. Griest couldn't tell who was in Dog Company, other than Speirs, and had no idea in hell who was in the 82nd Airborne.

"I was in the 182nd Flak Sturm Regiment of the XLVII Panzer Corps. It was an artillery unit; I worked with the 88s."

"You fought for the Germans," Roe breathed in that calm voice of his, but Griest heard it waver. Griest herself couldn't move or breathe as she became uncomfortably aware of her heartbeat. It was loud as it pulsed in her chest like an earthquake. Skip and Penkala were killed by an 88. Toye and Guarnere were maimed by one. She finally placed Stefan's accent; it was Polish.

"Yes; I was placed right on the line, across from the Americans." His voice was still pleasant and light. His eyes, however, were narrowed as his hands moved to his sides. Griest recognized the stance; it was the look of a soldier.

"That's where we were stationed," she muttered slowly as her fingers tingled. This man could be responsible for all of Easy's ailments in Bastogne. Then again, Easy could be responsible for his friends' deaths and the loss of his hand. She looked back at Roe and breathed deeply. He nodded with a hum as he brought his gaze to their children.

"You have a very spirited son and a strong daughter. They have learned that from both of you." Stefan shook his head as tears filled his eyes. Griest stepped back slightly and threw Roe a quick glance; she was never good with crying. Stefan continued, "War is a tragedy for all sides. We must make sure our children never see another one. I am sorry about your friends."

"Agreed," Griest smiled as Adam pushed his sister on the swing set. Adrienne squealed in delight, urging to go higher. She reached a hand out to touch the sky. Griest smiled; her children would love paratrooping, but without the guns and the war, just the jump. Her gaze flickered back to Stefan.

"You have nothing to be sorry about; you were just doing your job. Kill or be killed." A small part of her, the part that held onto the pain and rage of the past howled in anger while her face grew pale. She thought of Jackson and Hall.

 _The war is won_ , a voice deep inside whispered. It sounded like Penkala. _Let go of the fight. Let there be peace. It's over._

She glanced at Roe and clutched his hand like a vice while flashing him a soft, strained smile. She wasn't strong enough to let it all go without him. Tears blurred her vision but she ignored them, focusing only on Roe. Her Roe. Roe nodded and squeezed her hand. Everyone had lost people, but Bastogne took more than its share.

"Indeed it was," Stefan chuckled darkly with a shadowed face. Suddenly, it was easy to picture him in a Kraut uniform, standing beside a smoking 88. She shivered and forced the image away.

"So you moved to the US?" She asked, sitting on the bench and pulling Roe down beside her.

Stefan nodded as he sat down on her other side. "Two years after the war; I moved here with my wife and two children. Poland- Europe, is no longer my home. War has destroyed it. Too many memories."

"We understand," Roe assured glancing at Griest. They couldn't even look at snow the same way; living in Europe would be... Torture, a prison. It would be Hell.

"So, you have kids?" Roe. Stefan nodded and told of his family. His oldest son was married with a six year old boy; Stefan was currently babysitting him, which was why he was at the park. His youngest son had just graduated university and was working to become a teacher.

"As long as they are smarter than I was and don't become soldiers," he concluded with a smile.

"It's wasn't all bad," Griest objected sneaking a smile at Roe, who watched her with unreadable eyes and a charming smile. "Except the food, that stuff was nasty. I still can't eat canned meat. The thought makes me sick."

Stefan laughed, "I wish we had canned meat! But, yes, the food is something I will never miss. Have you been to Holland?" They talked of Europe, the places they had seen, and the people they had met. Like all vets, they kept silent about the fighting, the horrible sights, and the pain; especially now that they were talking to someone from the other side.

"We did hear stories about the American Airborne Divisions. You were said to be the best soldiers, and the ones to fear." Stefan adjusted his glasses as Griest smirked.

"Fuck yeah, we were. Your artillery was good too. We couldn't leave our foxholes, and even they weren't safe." They all chuckled as a crack of thunder rumbled through the sky. Rain drops fell to the earth. Griest looked upwards and squinted.

"Do you regret anything?" Stefan asked hesitantly, but his face was strong and daring, challenging. Griest and Roe shared a look and breathed deeply. Did she regret jumping out of perfectly working airplanes? Did she regret watching her friends, her men, her family die? Did she regret seeing those bodies as their ashes trailed across the sky? Did she regret killing?

She looked at Stefan and sat tall as her chest puffed out. Her eyes turned silver as her voice grew as cold as ice, and as sharp as a bayonet, "No. I don't. Do you?"

Stefan stared back matching her intensity as a smirk peeked at the corner of his lips. "No. I have no regrets." He looked at the playground where only three children remained. He called out to one of them, "We should be going. Warren!"

A young boy looked up at the voice and ran towards him. He had his grandfather's blue eyes. Stefan patted his head and brushed some dirt off his cheek before he looked back to the Roes. "It was a pleasure to meet you..."

"Eugene and Chucky," Roe introduced as the trio all shook hands.

"Eugene and Chucky, sounds like a war name. It is an honour to meet two Screaming Eagles." Then he stepped back and saluted the two with military precision. Griest smirked and she and Roe returned the gesture. The three children watched them all with confused faces, but they knew better than to ask; they knew this moment was bigger than them. After a moment, Stefan took Warren's hand and walked away, speaking to him in a soft, animated voice, answering the boy's questions.

Griest dropped her hand and stared after him feeling something she couldn't quite understand. There was some resentment, pride, and relief, but most of all, there was a sense of peace. No one would believe it; she shook the enemy's hand.

 _No, not the enemy,_ she corrected herself, staring down at her calloused and scarred palm. _He was just a soldier. Just like Roe and me. Just like Penkala and Skip and Bill and Winters and Speirs. He's one of us._

"Momma!" Adam squealed wrapping his arms around her waist. Griest blinked and looked around; everyone else had left. Adam's raven hair looked like a polished, black stone as the rain ran down his curling locks, and trailed down his round cheeks. She played with the ends of his hair; he needed a haircut. "Momma, it's wet! Let's go!"

"Okay, okay, okay, we're going." Griest took his hand and ensured Roe was holding onto Adrienne. Her daughter's cheeks were pink as rain ran down her pale face, soaking her clothes. Taking Adrienne's other hand, the Roes walked home.

"Did Stefan fight beside you and Papa?" Adam asked cheerfully as he jumped into a puddle, splashing Griest and drenching her already soaked feet and legs. Roe scolded him, but the lesson only remained until the next puddle.

"No, he didn't. He fought for the Axis." Griest kept her voice even as she glanced at Roe.

"The Germans?" Adam wrinkled his nose and pushed back a wad of wet hair. "Aren't they evil?"

"No, just their leader and the SS. The rest were just doing the same thing your mother and I were doing," Roe explained gently. "They were doing their job by obeying orders and protecting their friends."

"I don't understand." Adam looked at his feet as he walked past a huge puddle.

"Life is complicated," Griest explained, taking his hand once again, "Not everything is good or bad; sometimes, there is an in between, a grey area. You'll understand one day." Griest flashed him an encouraging smile as she knelt before him, ignoring the puddle she dipped her knee into; she had sat in worse.

She kissed Adam's cheek at glanced at Adri. Her daughter was quiet as her lips formed a thoughtful pout. Griest recognized that look from Roe's face. It made her smile. She had no idea what she did to deserve such beautiful children, or such an amazing husband. She finally decided the Big Man owed Roe for all the lives he and his grandmother saved. That had to be it.

"Come on, I'm soaked," Griest hummed as she tapped Adrienne's nose, earning a celestial smile and a joyful squeak. She grabbed her children's hands and smiled at Roe.

One day her children would understand. She would make sure of it.

* * *

" _ **For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible"- Unknown**_

* * *

 **Author's note: this story is actually based on my Opa's friend. He had fought for the Allies during WW2 and ended up meeting someone who fought for the Axis. As they talked, they found out they had fought in the same battle, and the Axis fighter used the 88s- the Allied fighter lost his friends to an 88. Despite this fact, they got along and became pretty good friends. Yeah, I thought it was cool and wanted to show the attitudes a lot of vets have towards another. The 182** **nd** **Flak Sturm was a real Axis division in WW2, who fought in Bastogne, according to my research, but I could have made mistakes regarding this unit. This chapter is early because I'm leaving for vacation (YAY!), so if I don't get back to you guys, it's because I am gone and having a blast. Alright, I think that's everything. Once again, thanks for reading and let me know what you guys think. Have a good one!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8**

* * *

 **Author's note: I AM SO SORRY. I know this is two days late, but I just finished four 12 hr night shifts, I was working nights on Friday until it was too late. I am so sorry about the late update. To make it up to you guys, this is a pretty long chapter so I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

" _ **Not everyone who lost his life in Vietnam died there. Not everyone who came home from Vietnam left there"- Unknown**_

* * *

"You sure you wanna do this?" Roe's soft voice tickled at the back of Griest's neck; he was nervous. His eyes glinted back as his jaw flexed in apprehension. His hands were tight as they encircled hers. She nodded and breathed deeply through her nose.

"We have to. They have to know." She knew the moment she held her children and heard their first breaths, she knew they would have to show them. She looked back at his eyes and licked her lips, "It's our responsibility, Eugene. We owe them."

He nodded as they turned to their sleeping children. They had grown and had grown fast, as children did. Griest knew they would, but it was different to think it and then see it. Adam was now 15 years old; he was shorter for his age and scrawny, but he had inherited his father's grace and stamina, and his mother's fire and her love for hockey. Every day after school, he would be outside playing street hockey and teaching the rules to the other kids. Griest hoped to teach him to skate and take him to a real hockey game in Canada one day. The pair of them often wondered how the Vancouver Canucks were doing. Adam was loud and energetic, strong and sure. He loved being in the middle of everything; sometimes, he caused trouble just to be there. But, he was a sweet boy, and one Griest and Roe were proud of.

Adrienne was the quietest Roe, but by far the smartest. At 13 years old, Griest couldn't help her with her homework. She was thin and lanky, but had wide eyes and a beautiful smile that melted Griest's heart like chocolate. The two girls would often sit at the lagoon, slapping at mosquitoes, as they stared at the stars. They pointed out the shooting stars and the odd mistaken firefly. Adri seemed to understand things no girl her age should; a trait that made her mother both proud and worried. A child should be a child and enjoy it as long as they could before it was taken from them.

"Guys, wake up!" Griest called, forcing a falsetto into her voice as she clapped her hands. Roe turned the lights on as the two smaller bodies remained motionless. It was always hard to get them out of bed, but even more so with jet-lag. "C'mon! Let's go, or I'll dump you in a puddle!" They stirred at that.

An hour later, they were standing side by side, staring at the world in front of them. To the veterans, it looked exactly the same, but it was missing some of the finer details to mimic their memories perfectly. The sand was damp and squishy under their boots, but somehow managed to get inside their socks. It itched and scratched at their toes. The wind was harsh like a whip and smelled of salt and fish, but there was no scent of blood. The ocean was vast and covered the entire horizon with the ships as tiny blurs that dotted the skyline. The water wasn't red and there were no Allied ships, no bodies floating face down in the water, laying on the beaches, or being dragged into a giant pile.

"What is this?" Adam asked with a quivering voice. He knew something big and important happened here.

"This is Utah Beach," Roe explained gently. "This is where the ground soldiers landed on D-Day in the Normandy Invasion."

"You and Momma landed here?"

"No, we were paratroopers. We flew over here the night before and parachuted to the ground. You remember that clearing we were at earlier?" Adam nodded. He had found some German shell casings on the ground. His dad said he could keep them. "That's where we went after we regrouped."

"You fought there?"

"Your mother did. I was a medic..." Roe continued on but Griest's gaze flickered to Adrienne, who was standing ankle deep in the water. Griest walked beside her. The water was cold, unlike the warm and thick water she had encountered a lifetime ago.

Griest remained silent as she watched her daughter, wishing she could read her young mind. Adri leaned down and plucked a small shell from the sand. It was small and chipped, but strong and beautiful. Adrienne looked up at her mother as if asking for permission.

"Go ahead." Griest nodded, wearing a small smile. Adrienne ran a thumb over the grooved but smooth surface. Then she pocketed it, staring at the ocean in front of her with thoughtful eyes. Griest smirked; Adrienne's father wore the same look on his face.

"You good, Adrienne?" Adri looked up at her mother and nodded. "C'mon," her voice caught in her throat as she looked at the bunkers that still remained. Skip had called her away from the same spot once. She pushed the memories away and forced a tight smile, "we have a lot more to see."

* * *

They traveled through Europe, seeing the sights, and tracing Easy's footsteps. They had stopped at Carentan and compared the landmarks to the pictures the Easy vets had obtained throughout the years. They also stopped at Eindhoven and wandered through the streets. Most of Eindhoven had been destroyed during the bombings, but there was a small section that remained. Those buildings were chipped and marked from the war. Adrienne stared at the damaged stone and ran a hand over its rough surface.

When the residents heard they were from Easy Company, they were invited into the resident's homes where they were fed Dutch pastries like boterkoek and stroopwafels. They talked about the war and exchanged pleasantries. Then, they departed and went looking for the Van Slooten house.

After ten minutes of wandering around, they found it. It was smaller than Griest remembered with deep divots in the ground, but was surrounded by tulips of all colour. Adrienne said the fields looked like a rainbow. There was a small windmill to the east; Griest wasn't sure if it was there before. A young woman opened the door. It took some wild gestures and slow speaking before she understood. She invited them inside and brought out some tea and more pastries.

"Anna no here," the woman, Maria, said with a thick accent. Griest forced herself to take a bite of another stroopwafel as her stomach groaned in protest. The kids had been excited at first, to eat so much cake in one day, but even they were struggling. Griest took comfort in knowing the Dutch people were not starving; she had checked the pantries on her way to the bathroom.

"Where is she?" Griest had always wondered what had happened to the family.

"Anna die five years ago. Cancer."

"What about her daughters and her husband?" Roe asked, leaning forward.

"Husband die month after Anna. Daughters moved to Canada. They have children now." Maria nodded, smiling warmly at Adrienne who was struggling with a piece of boterkoek.

After talking for an hour, the Roes departed after thanking Maria for the food and the hospitality. They got into their rental car and drove to the Dike. Griest recounted the crossroads battle in a soft yet strong voice. The kids laughed when they saw the road where Uncle Guarnere had been shot in the ass. Griest and Roe made sure to never sugarcoat anything; if someone died, they said so. Granted, they never spoke of the wounds in detail, but they spoke the truth. The next generation needed to know the price of freedom, and the cost of keeping silent.

"Where are we going now?" Adam asked as Roe drove the vehicle onward. Griest met her husband's eyes as she gripped his free hand, swallowing hard. Her palm pulsed.

"Bastogne."

* * *

What were you supposed to feel when you revisited the place where so many of your friends had died? Anger? Sorrow? Regret? Guilt? Griest felt everything, and more.

The sun was shining brightly making her sweat while a soft wind blew at her skin like kisses, bringing the scent of dead leaves, flowers, soil, and cow patties. Birds chirped high above them as their songs echoed through the trees. To Griest, the echo was never ending. The trees were tall and mighty with huge leaves that only allowed tiny streams of light to reach the forest floor. It was a beautiful day. Somehow, that made everything more eerie.

"Wow," Adam breathed, barely over a whisper, "does it look the same, Papa?" Like every 15 year old boy, he was fascinated about the war and begged his parents and uncles for stories, no matter how meager. Ironically, his favourite stories were the ones they hated the most to tell. Of all the stories, however, they never talked about Bastogne; Adam knew a lot of his uncles had died there and had a brief understanding of how, but they were never stories. Bastogne was something you needed to see to understand.

"No," Roe uttered hollowly as his eyes traced the forest floor and the debris of twigs and rocks. His shoulders were hunched into his neck as his hands twitched by his sides; it was as if he expected someone from the past, someone dead and left behind, or some ancient artifact to jump out from the shadows. Griest understood. The forest seemed to breathe as if the ghosts of the lost souls were still wandering around, as if a day had never passed. She shuddered as she found Roe's hand and gave it a hard squeeze. He swallowed and whispered, "It's too green."

It was Adrienne who strode forward, following a path through the trees. The fallen branches cracked under their feet, cutting through the air like gunfire. The birds kept on chirping but it seemed quiet, as if the Germans were waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Griest's fingers burned.

"Momma, look." Griest followed Adam's pointed finger and looked down as she nodded. It was a foxhole. The bottom of the hole was covered in rotting leaves, twigs, and a tiny, green, growing plant. That had been her home through the war, not the houses they occupied or the barracks at Aldbourne. Not that hole specifically, but fox holes in general. That was where she slept, ate, and, sometimes, even where she went to the bathroom. It was her living room, her dining room, her living room, and her bedroom. She had laughed, smiled, shouted, screamed, and cried in there. She had sat with her friends and watched them die. It was her home.

Griest crouched down and laid a hand on the lip of the hole. The soil was soft, yet gritty as pine needles and splinters snagged at her skin.

 _Home._ She wanted to laugh and cry but Adam's voice called her attention away, "There's more!"

Griest stood up and walked to the tree line where the forest stopped and a grassy field began. The grass was tall and bright, reminding her of a feather as it swayed and brushed against the sky. She dropped her gaze to her children who were both sitting in a foxhole. She blinked and imagined a grey-green helmet and mangey uniforms on their bodies. It wasn't hard. She shuddered and shoved the image away.

Along the tree line were countless foxholes, going as far as her eyes could see. They were smaller than the others and placed between the trees. She had told Roe her first name in one of those holes. People had died in them.

"What's that?" Adrienne pointed back into the forest. Griest followed her finger to a thigh-high, white cross.

"Dunno." Roe's voice was gruff and haunted, matching his dark and dazed eyes. "It's new."

"Let's check it out." Adam didn't run or hitch his voice in excitement. Instead, he was calm and quiet as he confidently made his way over, but his eyes were a steely grey. They looked like bayonets, glinting in the snow.

Someone had placed a white, wooden cross into the ground. _101_ and _Easy_ were written on the cross in thick, black letters with two red poppies painted at the top, and the Easy screaming eagle logo at the base. There were two smaller crosses on either side. Dozens of sticks surrounded the crosses, sticking up into the air at a forty-five degree angle. In the middle of the sticks, was an old, dusted boot. Griest had worn the same pair for three years straight. A foot away was a heart created from pine cones that were the size of Griest's hand. Inside were more pine cones. All together it made a huge peace sign.

"Chucky." Roe looked ahead. On one of the trees was a piece of paper with six pictures. Griest identified them all with ease: Private Carl Sawosko, Private Alex Penkala, Sergeant Warren "Skip" Muck, Private John Julian, Corporal David Hoobler, and Private Kenneth Webb.

" _What does a woman do in war?"_

" _Maybe Hinkle will want it."_

" _Ain't she a beauty?"_

" _It's gonna be a cold one..."_

Six names. Six faces. Six bodies. Countless memories. Griest grabbed Roe's hand as he squeezed it tightly, but it was her frostbitten hand. She barely felt him. The ghosts pressed against her, as if grabbing her and asking, "Don't you remember us? We haven't forgotten you."

"Uncle Skip and Uncle Alex," Adam murmured, glancing back at his parents. "They died here."

Griest nodded. She turned and walked back to the hole, dragging Roe along behind her. Adam and Adrienne followed along. Griest dropped Roe's hand, jumped into the hole, and sat down. She didn't care about the dirt and mud on her clothes. Hell, the thought never even crossed her mind. She glanced at her stained, grey runners and shook her head. She missed her boots.

"Come here." Adam and Adrienne huddled in beside her, holding their knees to their chests. Roe stayed on the surface but crouched in front of them.

Being on the ground and smelling the forest made it easy to imagine the snow and the cold, the dirty and haunted faces, and the dark, dead eyes. The 88s and the screaming echoed in her mind with the birds. Griest remained silent for several minutes, immersed in her memories, watching the ghosts. Then she spoke in a dark, almost monotone voice. Her gaze never strayed from the root that jutted from the wall of the foxhole. Rain began to fall from the sky, sprinkling lightly.

"War is not glory. It's not romantic, and it's certainly, not in hell, a happy ending. It's a consequence for refusing to listen, refusing to stand up and say no. It's necessary, but it has a cost." The rain pattered against the leaves like a drum as Griest exhaled. "War is death; it's sitting in your own shit for eight hours and not being able to move. It's wearing the same clothes and not being able to shower for months. It's being so scared you stay awake for hours so some Kraut doesn't come walking up and killing you and your buddy. It's watching your friends die.

"Uncle Guarnere and Uncle Toye, they had their legs blown off somewhere in this forest. Uncle Tipper? Lost his eyes in Carentan. Uncle Julian? He choked on his own blood, begging us to help him, and we left him behind. War has a price, and it's a steep one." Griest looked at her kids with raging eyes, noting how other tourists had stopped and listened. She didn't care; everyone needed to know this.

"Then why did you fight?" Adrienne asked, glancing at her father. Griest met Roe's eyes as they communicated without words. The temperature dropped five degrees.

"That's where we're going next."

* * *

" _ **There is a storm inside of us, a burning river, a drive. You push yourself further than anyone could think possible. You are never out of the fight"- Marcus Luttrell**_

* * *

Before they left, they visited the graves of the Easy men. Adrienne had placed some flowers at the stone memorial for the uncles she had never met, but knew from the stories her parents shared. Griest had poured some whiskey onto the grass; flowers were nice but she knew her boys. They'd prefer booze.

"Stefan Kowal fought for the Germans, right?" Adam had asked. Griest was briefly surprised that Adam remembered the man he had met several years ago, but wasn't shocked at the same time. "Can we see it?"

The German grave site was on the other side of Foy. There were grey crosses that went on as long as Griest could see, before disappearing behind the soft, grassy hills. It was a sombering sight, yet it made a part of Griest proud; her boys had done their jobs. An older woman was placing an array of flowers at a cross with a stern face streaked with tears, Griest assumed it was her son. She wondered if she had killed him, or if he had killed any of her friends.

After another long drive, they arrived at their destination.

Just like Bastogne, it felt as if the sun had taken a personal vendetta against them as it burned any bare skin it touched. Griest was already a pink colour, but parts of her arms were turning purple as she doused herself in sun screen. She was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but sweat ran down her back and soaked through her shirt. Her children were slightly burned, but had escaped their mother's sensitive skin, but they were also sweating profusely.

"What happened here?" Adri mumbled, keeping her gaze on the scenery before them. The grass had grown so the tops brushed against Griest's thighs. She turned to the forest where she had first laid eyes on this atrocity. The birds kept silent; the trepidation Griest had felt all those years ago remained. No matter how much time had passed, the evil that place, and places like it, would never go away. It stayed in the back of everyone's minds, whispering softly.

Griest, however painful the memories, never wanted to forget. Every skeleton, every scar, A-7731. When you forgot something, you found yourself standing in the same place several years later. Griest wouldn't let that happen. She'd rather die.

"I'll show you." Griest led them forward. She remembered Winters as he suggested she stayed behind. She missed him.

"The Germans burned down most of the huts when they heard we were coming. They burned them, and the prisoners inside." Griest pointed to the shambly remains of a hut. She was surprised this much of the camp remained; she was only a spectator, but she had wanted to burn it to the ground and destroy it. She's couldn't imagine what the survivors felt, or Liebgott.

"They were still inside?" Adam's voice was dark while his steel eyes raged. He gritted his teeth as he pressed his lips together.

"Yes," Roe answered, mirroring his son's voice.

"You remember what I said about the German soldiers? That they were just like your father and me?" They both nodded. "This place was run by the SS. They aren't like us. They are evil."

"What is this place?" Adri muttered as she looked at a small memorial.

Griest met Roe's eyes, took her hand, and traced the faint scar on her palm. Then he answered, keeping his eyes on her sunburnt skin, "It's a concentration camp."

"The older kids talked about those in school. Is this Auschwitz?" Adam blinked, looking away from the hut. He kept imagining being trapped in there as the fire raged, burning and eating away at his flesh while the smoke suffocated him.

"No. I've never been there. That one is in Poland, but imagine this place but bigger with execution chambers. They-" Roe paused as a man jogged past them, just outside of where the razor wire fence once stood. He smiled at them as he panted hard and wiped at the sweat on his forehead. Griest narrowed her eyes and fought back a snort, but couldn't stop the sneer from crossing her face. How could someone casually jog past the very epitome of evil? Roe tapped her foot with his own, calming her without words.

Griest shook her head and sat down on a stone. She brought a hand down and stroked the dirt like she did so long ago. The sky did not reek of smoke and death, but smelled of woodlands and grass. Her children sat down beside her, neither one caring about the dirt staining their pants. Roe remained standing and placed a soft, reassuring hand on Griest's shoulder. She leaned back into his touch and exhaled as her gaze fell to the ground. There was once a pile of bodies there, including a small boy who was just a few years younger than her son.

"This is why we fight; to stop evil, like this. We fought to keep our future safe, and for you guys. You fight to protect your friends, family, country, and the innocent. If you fight for those reasons, you will always have your father's and my support. If you don't, if you fight for stupid shit, I will personally kick your ass so hard you will never be able to sit down again. You get me?" They nodded slowly.

Adam got up and walked around what remained of the huts. His face was tight as his hands formed fists at his sides. His emotions, his intense anger was evident by the way he walked, the choice words he spewed under his breath, and the way his eyes cut through the scene, as if he were seeing the past before him, living it as his parents had.

His sister, on the other hand, was silent. The skin around her eyes was smooth and her dark irises were unreadable like stones. She wandered around the camp, looking up and down with a thoughtful expression Griest couldn't read or understand. It briefly reminded her of Speirs.

"You alright?" Roe sat down beside her, pressing his body against her side. She sighed and rubbed at her face, hissing as her skin burned and itched.

"It's fucking hot out. Jesus." She looked at her kids as she forced her lips to turn upright, but they fell quickly. "What else can I say to them? Have we done enough?"

"We told them everything we could, and we showed them. The rest is up to them. They're good kids, Henri. You did a great job with them."

" _We_ did a great job," she corrected bumping into his shoulder with a small smile. Then she glanced at a pale grey steak that was once the gate. Her smile morphed into a scowl. "You good, seeing all this again?"

He released a breath and looked around. His shoulders jumped to his ears as he took her hand once again, brushing over the raised, sensitive skin. He shivered with dark, black eyes. "Are you?"

Griest chuckled and dropped her head onto his shoulder. He nodded as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to her forehead. There were no words.

The younger Roes wandered further away as they took in their surroundings. Most of the huts had fallen apart, resembling the old, forgotten shack at their school. With the growing grass, it was hard to imagine the horrors their parents described; yet, the lack of birds, bugs, and that shiver that ran down their spines, it wasn't hard to imagine at all.

"Adri, come here!" Adrienne followed her brother's voice as she stumbled through the rocks and the bases of the huts. Adam stood at the edge of the meadow and pointed into the grass.

It was a doll. It was unlike any doll Adri had ever seen, but a doll nevertheless. The cloth body had worn down, frayed, and moldy. One of the arms was missing with wads of cotton sticking out of the side. The doll's face was black and caved in, making most of the face indistinguishable, but Adrienne could make out a single, bright blue eye. She stared at it.

"I wonder who she belonged to." Adam crouched down and reached a hand out, but stopped and dropped his hand. Adrienne kept her mouth shut, trying to see the world through the doll's eye.

"Adri! Adam!" Roe's voice called out, barely over a speaking volume, but his words echoed through the meadow as if he had screamed. Adam jogged towards it, but Adrienne stayed. She touched the doll's grainy face and gingerly stroked her cheek. Then, she stood up and followed after her brother.

The doll sat there and watched Adrienne's retreating frame. It had seen a lot of people come and go through the years. They each wore the same confused, somber, sorrowful look on their faces while some cursed and futily held back tears. The grass covered it as the wind blew, licking at its' face. The face of all those left behind, but never forgotten.

* * *

" _ **On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no man behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind"- Dan Lipinski**_

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 **Author's note: Okay, so several things** **boterkoek and stroopwafels are Dutch pastries, like sugary waffles and little cakes. VERY GOOD. I have no idea if Eindhoven survived the bombings, but according to Google Earth, Eindhoven still exists so I just assumed they rebuilt it, but I have no idea if any of the building survived. I have no idea what Bastogne would have looked like in the 1950s-60s, but I watched several YouTube videos showing what it looks like now, so I just used the videos. Same goes with Landsberg, I found a few pictures online showing what remained of the camp and it wasn't much, and who knows what it was like in the 50s-60s, but the point remains the same. The part where the guy was jogging past Landsberg is based on what I saw at Auschwitz. There was some random dude, and he was just running past the camp like it was nothing. I understand Auschwitz is actually a city so people would get used to seeing the camp, but, at the same time, how can you get used to something like that? Ahh, those are the main things. Thanks again to everyone who has read, commented, followed, and favourited this story, it means a lot. This story is for you guys, because without your support, this story would never exist. This story has only 13 Parts, including the Epilogue, so we're almost at the end. I am thinking of writing another one-shot just to finish and polish stuff up, but we'll see. Thanks once again and let me know what you guys think. Have a good one!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 9**

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 **Author's note: so it's a day early, but I'm starting on three night shifts. Thank you so, so, so much to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. I know I thank you guys each chapter, but words cannot emphasize how much your kind words and support mean. They really do make my day. So here's another one, so enjoy and let me know what you guys think. Have a good one.**

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" _ **Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them"- Marcus Aurelius**_

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"You're not even doing it right!" Adam shouted as Adrienne blinked and slouched under her brother's withering gaze.

"Adam, what's wrong?" Roe called out as Griest stepped into the room glancing at the scene. A pile of laundry was laying on the floor with Adrienne sitting in front of it. Adam was standing over her with his arms crossed over his chest. His hair had grown longer and curled in front of his face. His hands were fists as his chest rose and fell quickly as if he had just run five miles. His face was smooth in a controlled fury, but it was his eyes that caused Griest to pause. They were flat and sharp like a bayonet, glistening in the moonlight. It made her think of _The Night of the Bayonet._ She recognized that look from Speirs, and herself. It was a look she never wanted to see on her children's faces. She had to remind herself to breathe.

"She's not folding it right," Adam growled through clenched teeth. Griest looked at the laundry. Most of it was an unsorted pile while a stack of folded shirts sat beside them. It looked fine to Griest.

"How?" Roe's voice was tired with flushed cheeks and glowing skin from sweat. He was getting older, they all were, but he felt it at that moment. His muscles ached and limbs trembled.

"She's not doing it right!" Adam pointed at the red shirt Adrienne clutched in her fingers. She flinched and looked at her father before dropping her gaze to the folded pile.

"How, Adam?" Griest pushed taking a step forward. "It looks fine to me."

"Well, maybe you didn't realize but we're not living in a foxhole!" His voice was cold.

"Adam! You can't talk to your mother like that!" Roe exclaimed as Griest blinked swallowing the snowball in her throat. "Why don't you go to your room before you say something else you regret."

"I don't regret anything." He shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked off, shutting his door forcefully. It sounded like a grenade.

"Chucky," Roe began but Griest held up a hand.

"It's okay. We've all said things we don't mean." She turned to her daughter. "Adri, did something happen at school today?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. He was like this after school. I think he had an argument with Emilie." Adrienne tried folding the shirt to her brother's specifications but gave up and slumped over.

"It's okay, sweetie." Roe kissed the top of her head. "He just needs some air." She nodded and continued folding, trying to nail the 'correct way'.

The next two hours were tense as the trio continued on with their daily lives. Roe went to tell Adam that dinner was ready. Griest tensed as their two voices, one deeper than the other, vibrated through the walls. Griest watched the hallway, occasionally glancing at Adrienne. Adri was silent as she pushed her food around her plate. Roe sat down at the table with a snort as he began shoveling food into his mouth, flexing his jaw powerfully like a crocodile.

Later, they climbed into bed. Griest tried to compose a letter to Guarnere, who was planning an Easy Company reunion; a letter to Luz, who was going to be in Louisiana and wanted to meet up; and a letter to Winters, who she hadn't spoken to since before their family trip to Europe. It was hard to stay in close contact with the men; she knew what they were doing, could name all their children, and was referred to as Aunty Chucky, but it wasn't the same as the war. She dropped the half written letters and glanced over at Eugene, studying him.

He held a book in his hands, but he wasn't reading it. He had that puzzled, unreadable expression on his face again. Roe exhaled through his nose as he met Griest's eyes, lowering the book into his lap. The deep blue ring in his irises flashed as he held her gaze, as if embracing her across the bed. He looked older. He slouched over as if he were being pulled down by an invisible strong. There were wrinkles around his eyes and the corner of his lips as the skin on his face sagged; but, he was still beautiful. There was a silent strength brimming inside him like a raging river. He was a proud buck with the scars of his life, but confident and sure, a survivor. A great prince. Griest grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. She didn't need to say anything; he understood.

"I'll be right back," Griest said as she kicked off her blankets and pulled on one of Roe's jackets. The sun had set long ago as the day heat was replaced by a humid chill that coated her skin with goosebumps. She now considered it 'nippy'. She was finally adapting.

"You want me with you?" He squinted through his glasses as the lamp bathed his face in a soft yellow light that emphasized his sharp jaw and cheekbones.

"Nah, I got this." She paused and looked back at him before she shyly raised a fist to the roof. He smiled back and raised his own. She bounded off but slowed her pace as she approached the door. It was silent inside but she could feel the tension wafting through the door like a heatwave. He would still be awake.

She opened the door and met her son's face. It was full of conflicting emotions; anger, guilt, fear, confusion, and apprehension. Griest remembered how she felt after an argument with her mom. It was part of growing up.

"Follow me." She tossed him a coat, turned, and walked away. There was a pause before she heard the sound of clothes brushing against another and the soft footfalls behind her. He had inherited his father's grace. She opened the back door and stepped outside exhaling as the cool, night wind nipped at her skin. Adam stepped behind her.

"Watch closely." She grabbed the side of the house and began to climb, using the gate as a step. It wasn't a hard climb but high enough to break your arm if you weren't paying attention. Adam pulled himself onto the roof as Griest ran a hand through her long, knotted hair before pulling a baseball hat lowly on her head. She missed her braided buns; she'd have to start doing that again.

"What are we doing out here?" Like Griest, he could never keep quiet for long.

"Shh." A smile crossed her face as she stared out over the land. She had spent numerous hours sitting on this roof. When Adam got meningitis as a baby, and they weren't sure if he would make it; she sat out here when Luz informed her about a nasty infection Guarnere had in his leg. She sat there when Adri's crush had asked her out on a dare, and then broke her heart. Griest's next stop was the little shit's house. He'd never do that again.

"When I was a kid, I couldn't see the fireflies or even sit out here without my snow suit." She exhaled deeply, smiling. "You see the stars? They look like they're waving."

The sky was a black blanket with rivers of dark blue, like Adri's and Roe's eyes. Bright, silver orbs twinkled like diamonds as the crescent moon seemed unusually luminescent, illuminating the tops of the trees and the lagoon, which looked like a black pearl. Fireflies blinked like small suns as they danced and tumbled in the moonlight. It looked like a new and mysterious land.

"I guess." Adam sat down beside her, pulling his jacket tighter around his body.

"You don't need to tell me what's bothering you, if you don't want to. I get it, it's your life and I'm just your mom, but," she paused locking her steel gaze on him, "you cannot take it out on your family. You come out here and consult with the stars."

"The stars?"

"Heaven-ward souls, ones that are good. They give us advice, if you listen. It also puts things into perspective; we're tiny compared to them, and our problems are even more so." A smile passed her face. "That's what my mom taught us."

"Us?"

"Your Uncle Chris. We would sneak out at night and sit on the roof, staring at the stars. Even in Europe, during the war, I would sit on a roof. Your father would come out and check on me, and make sure I was okay."

"Does it work?" Griest pursed her lips. Did sitting on the roof, which was sometimes covered in snow and in sub-zero temperatures, really help?

 _Click-click-click-click._ The crickets chirped happily as the wind blew through the leaves to create a symphony. The roof helped her when they moved from Vancouver to New York. It helped when she was cut from the hockey team because she got in a goalie fight, and because she was a girl. The stars consoled her when Chris left for Britain; when he died, and when Uncle Ben told her she was going to war. When Roe held her on the rooftops in a country across the sea.

The wind blew at her face like the little kisses her mother used to bestow upon her, and Griest to her kids when they were younger. It smelled like the cool lagoon and the flowers Mrs. Danault had planted along her house.

She faced her son. "Yes, it does. Well, I'm gonna head in. Stay here as long or as little as you want." She paused half-way down the climb. "Adam, your father, sister, and I really do love you, and we're here for you, if you want."

She flashed him another smile before she left him to the stars' more than capable hands. She lost her grip on the drain pipe and stumbled to the ground, hissing slightly as her ankles twisted. It was still nothing compared to paratrooping, but she had been younger then.

"You okay?" Roe asked when she slid under the covers, placing her cold feet on his bare thighs. He hissed and pulled away, causing her to smile.

"Yeah, just showed Adam the roof."

He raised his eyebrow as Griest rested her head on his chest. "And?"

"I don't know. We'll see." Roe kissed the top of her head as the pair slowly fell back to sleep.

Two hours later, Griest awoke. Gentle footsteps sounded as the farthest door clicked shut. It was Adam's room. She thought about checking on him, but Roe tightened his grip around her waist.

"He's fine. Let him sleep."

"Alright." She settled back down but extended her senses. The house was quiet with the occasional creak. Roe's heart pounded loudly in her ear as the sound of air filling his lungs lulled her back to sleep.

Everyone was quiet that morning as they waited for Adam to wake up. Adrienne ate her eggs slowly as Roe drank his coffee and read the paper. Griest was preparing the lunches when Adam finally entered the room. Griest met Roe's eyes as she glanced at her son, attempting to read his face.

Adam grabbed some breakfast and poured a large glass of chocolate milk. Griest crinkled her brow; Adam hated chocolate milk. He carried his plate and the cup to the table. Then he slid Adri the cup. Her forehead wrinkled slightly as she glanced between the milk and her brother. Then she smiled and took a small sip.

"Thank you." Adri grinned, adorning a chocolatey mustache. Adam grunted but Griest relaxed as Roe's shoulders loosened. As the kids left the house, Griest wrapped her arm around Adam and pulled him in close.

 _Jesus, he's taller than me. Holy shit, the guys were right. I am short._

"Did it work?" She had to look up to see his ear. Roe was not a tall guy but Chris had been over six feet. She decided that's where he got it from. Adam paused as a tiny smirk danced on his thin lips.

"Yeah, it did. I gotta go. Love ya, Ma." Adam leaned down and kissed her temple before he ran after his much shorter sister. He leaned down and said something to her as the pair began their walk to school. Griest smiled as Roe stepped up beside her. She took his hand and led him down the road towards the new construction zone.

"All good?"

She grinned. "Always."

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" _ **The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other"- Mario Puzo**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Part 10**

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 **Author's note: I am so, so, so sorry! I had it all planned: workout, then upload this story, but in the middle of my workout, I was called in, so I am so sorry this is 25 minutes late. I don't have too much to say other than this is a short chapter, and a huge thank you to everyone who has read, commented, favourited, and followed this story. If you guys want to know more about females in the army, and how they are treated, I would highly recommend reading** _ **The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq**_ **by Helen Benedict. It's based on the Iraqi Invasion of 2003, so more modern but not too modern. It's a real eye-opener and an amazing document of what women experience. If you also enjoyed** _ **Band of Brothers**_ **and** _ **The Pacific**_ **(which is most of you, I believe), I would recommend watching the HBO mini-series,** _ **Generation Kill.**_ **Like BoB, it's based off of real events as it follows the 1** **st** **Recon Marines during the Iraq Invasion. It's a lot more vulgar and doesn't have as many battle scenes as BoB, but it grows on you, and it's amazing! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.**

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" _ **So, spread, your wings and fly. Remember me, when you touch the sky. I'll always be, wherever you will go. So, fly away, dear sparrow"- Dear Sparrow by Breathing Theory**_

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"Mom, you promised to play hockey with us," Adam protested as he held up the sticks and roller blades. Adri nodded beside him as she strapped on her own skates.

"And then the lake," she added. Her face took on a pink tinge from the hot, summer, Louisiana sun, which emphasized her dark eyes and the light scattering of freckles on her cheeks. The sun had bleached her hair so it looked more like straw than strawberry blonde. At 15 years old, she was getting a more womanly shape. Adri was still lanky, but certainly curvier than her mother had ever been. Griest smirked.

"Yes, yes, but I need to go to the bank or we won't be able to go anywhere."

"You'll be quick?" Adam perked up as he dribbled the hockey ball on the spot.

"Promise. Now, don't scratch the floor." She looked up and met Roe's eyes, mirroring his bright smile. She kissed his lips and squeezed his hand as their children gagged and voiced their complaints, but their eyes were light as they battled back smirks. It was endearing to see their parents' affections for another.

"You sure you don't want us to come with?"

"Nah, it won't take long. Set up the nets and warm-up; you boys will need it if you wanna beat Team Girl-Power."

"Nuh ah, you're going down!" Adam shot back. Griest chuckled and pulled her shoes on. She ruffled Adam's longer, neck length hair, which he refused to cut, and she squeezed Adri's shoulder.

"See you guys!" She called as she jumped out of the door. Roe raised a fist as Griest jumped into the car and drove off. She never returned the gesture.

* * *

 _ **Bayou Chene Post**_

 _Tragedy strikes in the heart of Louisiana today as Bayou Chene lost one of its own. Forty-two year old, Henrietta Griest, was killed today when five armed gun men attempted a robbery at the local bank. Police arrived on scene and killed two of the gunmen and arrested the other two, one remains in hospital in critical condition. Mrs. Roe was the only hostage killed._

 _Henrietta Roe, formerly Henrietta Griest, was born in Vancouver, Canada but moved to New York with her mother and older brother to help care for her uncle, who was a World War 1 veteran. Her mother, Betty Griest, was killed in 1949 after a collision with a drunk driver. Her brother, Corporal Christopher Griest was killed in World War 2 while serving the British Air Force. Her uncle, Ben Griest, died in 1945 from the injuries he suffered in World War 1._

 _Mrs. Roe leaves behind her children, aged 17 and 15 years old, and her husband, Corporal Eugene Roe. Corporal Roe served as a medic in Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry Division during World War 2. There are rumours circulating that Mrs. Roe also served in Easy Company as part of a military experiment, but General Maxwell Taylor, the unit's commander, has refused to comment._

 _Mrs. Roe's loss has left a huge hole in the community as the country pauses and remembers her life..._

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" _ **Do not go gently into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light"- Dylan Thomas**_

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 **Author's note: DON'T KILL ME! Let me explain before I get an angry mob outside of my house. This story was always intended to be a series of one-shots of Griest's life after the war, up to, and including, her death. I was always going to include her death, and more specifically, how her family react to it. There was no version, or even concept of a story ending without this scene. I also have one more one-shot planned after the conclusion of this story, which takes place after her death. So, please, don't be too mad. Thanks for reading, let me know what you guys think, and don't hate me too, too much. Have a good one.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Part 11**

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" _ **The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained"-**_ _ **Bilal Nasir Khan**_

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The rain pattered against the church as dark clouds blanketed the sky, immersing the world in darkness. People wandered about and spoke to another in soft whispers, but it was the rain Roe focused on. It was soft, yet it echoed through the old building like a bass drum. He liked the rain; it kept the hushed voices, the sympathies of well-wishers, and his thoughts at bay. The memories, the numb feeling that threatened to overcome him, was the only thing present in his mind, as an ache ate away at his soul.

"Papa?" Roe blinked and found his children standing in front of him, surrounded by his family- Easy Company. He didn't even know which one of them had spoken.

Adam was slouching with the first button of his suit undone. The suit itself was wrinkled as mud clung to the bottoms of his pants and his dress shoes. Adam clutched the cuffs tightly as he stood between his Uncle Buck and Uncle Liebgott. His head was held high, but his eyes were red and his face was tired. His steel gaze was as sharp as Roe had ever seen, but they were flat. Roe never understood why boys pushed their emotions away and feigned apathy.

Adrienne, on the other hand, looked beautiful in her black dress. Her long hair was tied back with a thick ribbon as her hair curled over her shoulders. Her face was hauntingly lovely as tears ran down her cheeks, shining in the light like diamonds. She clutched her Uncle Guarnere's hand while Uncle Malarkey rested a strong hand on her shoulder. She looked small and fragile.

"Doc," Winters crouched down in front of Roe, wearing the same confident, soothing eyes Roe had seen all throughout the war. He, and all the others, wore suits, but he still looked strong and capable, like a warrior. Even without his uniform, he was their leader. He was a Screaming Eagle. "You should go see her. They're about to close the church."

 _Already?_ Roe thought. It felt like he had only been there for a few minutes, or for so long he had become part of the architecture. He wasn't exactly sure which one.

"Okay, Doc?" Winters' voice was warm and soft.

Roe nodded and licked his lips, glancing at his children. "Okay, sounds good."

He followed Easy through the church. The other people- neighbours, people Griest met at the grocery store, the parents of Adam's and Adrienne's friends, people who heard the story and wanted to see- stopped and stared at the Roes. They whispered and pointed. Their looks felt like fire. Adam puffed out his chest and glared as Adrienne shrunk into Uncle Guarnere's side. Easy noticed and surrounded the family, blocking them from everyone's prying eyes. Uncle Guarnere tightened his grip on Adri as Uncle Buck followed Adam's lead and stood tall. They became an impenetrable wall of Eagles.

"Excuse me," a middle-aged woman with bright red hair and blue eyes muttered. She glanced at Buck, Speirs, and the rest of the company as she swallowed hard and shrunk under their fiery gazes. Roe dropped his gaze to the golden ring that gleamed on her finger.

"Whaddya want?" Liebgott growled, stepping forward from the wall. The woman flinched.

"Lieb," Winters hissed sternly as he stepped beside the cab driver. Liebgott held his gaze before he stepped back beside Adam. Winters turned to the woman. "How can I help you, ma'am?"

The woman glanced past Winters at the Roes. "I- uh... I knew your wife, Mr. Roe."

"Yeah? You and everyone else here," Lieb huffed, earning a hard glare from the others, and a sharp jab from Luz.

The woman glared at him before continuing. Her voice started out shakily but grew stronger as she kept her gaze on the trio, "I was at the bank when they started shooting."

Everyone grew quiet as Lieb bit his lip, fighting back his own tears with shaking hands. He never forgot who helped him at Landsberg. He owed her, and now he never had a chance to fulfill that debt. He glanced back at the woman, losing his malice as he gave her a small nod. His free hand found Adri. She squeezed his hand tightly.

 _Man, she is so much like her mother. And her father,_ Liebgott thought with a small shake of his head,

"We were standing right beside her in the line-up. Then those men came and started shooting at the sky. She-she was really calm and she told us to be quiet, and that we'd be okay."

"We?" Webster poked his head out between Winters and Nixon.

"My children." She pulled her three children forward, two young girls and a younger boy. The girls were both red-headed while the boy had his mother's expressive, blue eyes. He clung to his mother as he sucked on his thumb. Some chocolate was smeared across his big, puffy cheeks; they were so round, it looked like he had a tennis ball tucked into each one.

"She kept us calm, but then one of the tellers started screaming. The robbers started shouting and shooting their guns. My son, he started crying- he's only three years old. One of the robbers shoved a gun at him and told him to shut it. Your wife, she-she saved my son. She saved him. If it weren't for her..."

Roe stared at the boy as he imagined the scene. Griest would never stand for that, a grown man sticking a gun into a child's face. She would have argued, tried to reason with them, but you couldn't reason with people like that. Did one of the robbers shoot her to shut her up, or make an example of her? Or did she reach for the gun, opting to point the weapon at herself instead of the bumbling toddler? Did she try and use her knife? Roe blinked the images away, but heard the gunshot and saw the blood anyways. He shuddered and felt bile jump to the back of his throat.

"I am sorry." The woman was now sobbing as her daughter tugged at her arm, confused as to why her mother was crying. The woman wiped away her tears and stared at the two motherless children. "I am so, so, so sorry!"

Roe couldn't speak; he opened his mouth but there was no sound. Babe nodded and spoke for him, squeezing his arm as he stepped beside him, "That's what Chucky would have wanted; and what Chucky wants, she gets. Most of the time."

The woman nodded as she hesitantly stepped forward. The Easy men stepped aside and let her by as they lowered their heads, and watched the scene carefully. She looked up at Roe and embraced him.

To Roe, it was all wrong; that hug was cold and awkward, like embracing a piece of cement. There was no comfort, no warmth in it. The perfect embrace would be one where she rested her head against his chest, and the top of her head would reach his collar bone. Her arms would be tight, as if she were clinging to him, yet securing him protectively. She would smell of the oaky wood they worked with, the flowers that neighboured their house, and that fresh smell that made him think of the Canadian winters. Her calloused, scarred hands would reach up and would run through his hair as her sweet, cool breath would tickle his chin. It was supposed to make him feel strong and sturdy, supported and comforted. But this hug, it was all wrong.

The woman pulled away and smiled at Adri and Adam with teary eyes. "Thank you, and I am so, so sorry. If there's anything I can do..."

She flashed Roe another smile before she herded her children away. Roe swallowed hard as he wiped at his teary eyes, refusing to let them fall as he had seen Griest do so many times before. He had to be strong for his kids. Toye gave him a look before he gently kicked Roe's foot with his prosthetic one.

"Come on, Doc, let's go see our girl."

"No," Luz corrected with a small look, "let's go see _his_ girl."

The men understood; Chucky was their friend, fellow paratrooper, and sister; but, she was Adam and Adri's mother, and his wife.

This time, the company let Roe lead the way as they followed behind him. Once they reached the coffin, the company fanned out and turned their backs, giving the Roes a private moment to say goodbye.

Roe froze as he stared at the dark stained coffin. His fingers turned to ice as his thumping heart grew louder in his ears, drowning out the rain. He didn't know if he could do this.

"Papa?"

"Yes, _ma cherie_?" Roe looked down as Adrienne twisted her hair in her pale fingers.

She opened her mouth but closed it quickly as she looked to the coffin. Her eyes grew wide and dark. "I don't know if I can do this. _Je ne sais pa, Papa._ "

Roe exhaled deeply and met her brother's green gaze. Roe grabbed Adrienne's hand and stepped forward, nodding at his son. His heart settled as he led the way forward. Then, taking a deep breath, he looked inside.

He didn't know what he was expecting. Maybe a skeleton, a woman in a white, wedding dress like all the horror movies showed; or maybe Griest in her army fatigues, exactly as he remembered. Well, there were no skeletons, no wedding dress, and no fatigues; but, that woman was not his wife.

Her skin was pale and shiny like plastic while her withered, candlestick fingers held a bouquet of red flowers at her chest, making her face even paler. She was wearing the green dress she had bought for Marie's wedding. She hated that dress and threatened to burn it on several occasions. Her feet were shoved into a pair of black heels; she hated those shoes even more than the dress. Roe scanned her body, but there were no bullet holes that he could see. Adam grunted and wrinkled his nose.

"What is it, Adam?"

"It doesn't look like Mama. They made her look like Barbie."

Adrienne nodded. "Too much makeup."

They were right. Griest had worn makeup before, but it was always soft and highlighted her features, not covering them up. Her cheeks were bright as if two roses were placed on her cheeks. Her eyelids were painted gold, and her nails had been polished and painted a muted colour. Adrienne reached over and wiped the bright lipstick off. It took a few harsh swipes, but it was better. Now, Roe could see some feature of his wife he recognized.

"Better, but she would've been happier with her boots and her rifle." Roe nodded, agreeing with his son's assessment.

"Okay, guys, we," Roe's voice broke, "we gotta say goodbye."

Adrienne moved first. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed her mother's cheeks. New tears ran down her face as they dripped onto Griest's waxy forehead. Her voice was light and feathery, like a ghost, "Goodbye, Mama. I love you."

Adam grabbed Griest's hand and ran a thumb over her bony knuckles. Then, he kissed her forehead, squeezing her hand so tightly Roe worried he would break the bones in her hand. Adam cleared his throat and pushed his hair back. "See ya, Mama. Thanks for everything. We miss you. Love you."

"Come on, Adam," Luz cooed as Adam gripped her dress with a trembling lower lip. He shook his head as tears spilled over, running down his cheeks uncontrollably.

"It's alright there. It's alright. Let her go." Guarnere gently gripped his shoulder as Adri grabbed Adam's other hand, resting her hand on his arm. Adam slowly nodded and released his mother as Guarnere, Luz, and Babe coaxed the kids away. They knew Roe needed to say goodbye, and he needed to do it alone. Griest and Roe had endured and seen too much together, things you could only experience to understand.

Roe looked back to the body. He had seen plenty of bodies but they were always covered in blood and mud. Somehow, he knew Griest would have preferred that over the wax doll they had turned her into. Roe collapsed to his knees and placed a hand on the coffin. It was cold. He slowly reached in and, after some hesitation, grabbed her hand. It felt like plastic and like ice. Regardless, he tightened his grip on her. His other hand went to her hair, which had been brushed and spread over her shoulders. Her hair went down to her ribs.

Even during the war, he never felt a huge attachment to the bodies of his friends. There was never a desire to grab onto their bodies and refuse to let go. The loved one was gone; the body was just a vessel, an empty shell. But, he realized, they were holding onto their memories.

" _Je t'aime, mon coeur. Au revoir._ " He stood up and kissed each of her cheeks. Then he took a step back, but he couldn't walk away. Yes, it was an empty vessel, but that shell was still his wife.

"You alright, Eugene?" Roe blinked and found himself staring at Winters for the second time that night. The soul shattering ache in his chest cracked like glass. He couldn't let go. He needed to be strong, but he was stuck as if he really had become part of the building. "Gene?"

Roe didn't notice the tears that blurred his vision. He licked his lips before pressing them together. He spoke in a shaking voice, "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to raise my kids or go to work without her. We had plans, and she'll never see them. I- I don't know how to move on without her."

Adri was sitting beside Guarnere and Bull. Her eyes were black, swimming in a pool of salty tears. Adam was standing by the window, watching as the rain ran down the stained glass, reflecting colours onto the ground, like the scales of a leaping trout. His shoulders were tight at his neck while his hands clenched and unclenched. Even in war, Roe never imagined Griest's death, even after all the close calls. She seemed invincible, scarred and frazzled, but eternal. He turned back to Winters.

"I don't know what to do, sir," Roe confessed, wiping away the stray tears.

Winters chuckled as tears filled his own eyes. Speirs had called him and told him the news. It was a call he never expected, and never wanted to receive again. He had talked to Griest only a month ago. Guarnere and Babe were planning an Easy reunion and had recruited Chucky to spread the word. They had kept in close contact throughout the years; Winters had visited the Roes when Adrienne was born- he had been invited after Adam's birth, but he had been busy with work and couldn't get away. The four Roes had been to his house often and had met all of his children. Griest sent him, and all of Easy, letters that detailed her life and questioned all about theirs; she kept them all in contact with another. What he would do for one more letter, a phone call, a visit.

"She once asked me the same thing." The retired major blinked.

"She did?"

Winters nodded, smiling at the memory. "When we returned after the war. She had just said goodbye to you."

"What did you tell her?" Roe remembered Bastogne and how Winters had looked after him then. A true leader, the father figure Griest had always seen in him.

"I told her to do whatever made her happy, to keep moving forward, and to have Chucky babies." The two men grinned grimly at the second generation of Roes. Then Winters settled his all-knowing gaze on the young, lost man. "But, I told her that first, she needed to go home."

A small smile covered Roe's face, one that was weighted with a terrible burden, one even Hercules would run away from. Winters flashed him his own grin before they rejoined the company. Roe took his children by the hand, and they went home.

* * *

" _ **You are never coming home, never coming home. Never coming home, never coming home. And all the things that you never ever told me, And all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me. Never coming home, never coming home. Could I? Should I? And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me. For all the ghosts that are never gonna..." Ghost of You- My Chemical Romance**_

* * *

The weather wasn't much better the next day. Rain drizzle from the sky and seemed to hang in the air like mist. It mirrored the mood inside the church.

The story of Griest's life, and her demise, travelled far, pulling on the heart-strings of almost everyone who heard. There were some who scoffed and wrote her off as a wanna-be hero, but they were few and far between. The pews were filled with family, friends, neighbours, coworkers, and, of course, the Easy Company veterans and their families. Even Colonel Sink, Maxwell Taylor, and Talbert attended. Everyone had lost contact with Tabs after the war, so he and Sink were welcomed with open arms. The men were polite to Taylor, but never anything more. Griest had shared Taylor's threats in New York back in 1949. Eagles remembered who threatened their own. They were even more surprised when Sobel made a brief appearance with a young boy they all assumed to be his son. Winters went looking for their former commanding officer after the service, but he and the boy were gone.

Speirs and his elderly mother represented Griest's family while Roe's parents, Marie, and Marie's family came, representing her in-laws. Adam and Adri sat among the Easy members while being looked after by their grandparents. Roe was grateful; it allowed him to focus on the funeral.

The funeral was short and sweet; just as Griest would have liked. She never had the patience to sit in one spot for very long, so she didn't expect it from others. Winters, Speirs, Luz, and Guarnere spoke of her character, her courage, and her strength during the trying times. They never once said she fought in the war, especially under the eyes of Taylor, but people could make the connection.

Roe never spoke through it all, unless it was accepting the sympathies of others, checking on his children, or short, one word answers to his Easy comrades. He made no speeches, or shared any stories of how they pushed another forward when there was no light in sight. Everyone- Guarnere, Toye, Bull, Buck, Nixon, even the lady from the market- they all had their own memories of Griest, sharing foxholes, telling stories of home. They all knew who Chucky the soldier was, or Mrs. Roe the neighbour or coworker, but they didn't know Henri the wife and mother. That part of Griest belonged to him and his children. He didn't want to share it. He knew it was selfish, but he didn't care. She was _his_ wife. Thankfully, no one pushed the matter and left him alone.

Afterwards, they all gathered in one of the smaller halls the church used for coffee and cookies after the ceremonies. The Roes stood there and accepted the well-wishes and sympathies of people, enduring the far-fetched and unlikely stories of acquaintances, while sharing their own stories amongst each other and Easy. There was food, but few people ate. Those who did eat, however, ate a lot.

Then the church was empty, leaving Easy, who sent their families to their hotels for a moment alone with Roe, to the silence and the pattering of the rain. To Roe, the service had finished as quickly as it had begun. His limbs shook as his knees and wrists ached; he felt as if he had endured ten Currahee runs and the obstacle course. He turned to his children.

They were both sitting with Easy as the men recounted jokes and tales of Griest, but never of her trials, fears, or her ailments. They only told of the smiles and laughter, only the good things. It was the same way they talked about the war. The stories entertained the kids at the beginning; but as Roe watched them, their eyes were downcast as their eyelids drooped lower and lower.

Roe turned away from the coffee and forced his feet to move towards them. The tales and solemn laughter ceased as he joined them. He kept his gaze on the only remains of his wife: his children. They met his gaze. He cleared his throat and glanced at Winters before looking back to the kids, noting every one of Griest's features on their pale, lost faces.

"C'mon. Let's go home."

* * *

" _ **Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal"- Richard Puz**_

* * *

 **Author's note: so I decided to upload today because I have to go to the city tomorrow and might be working that night, so better be safe than sorry. I relied on my own experiences for how Griest's body would have looked like- I remember my Oma just looked like one of the wax sculptures you see in a museum. Thank you so, so, so much to everyone who has read, and has followed my since the beginning. I know the last chapter was a hard one- it was one I was terrified to upload, but you guys have been awesome, so thank you. I am planning on a one-shot that will complete this series, so keep your eyes out for that. I'll let you know more once the concept is finished. Thanks a bunch guys and let me know what you think. Have a good one!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Part 12**

* * *

" _ **In the days that follow, I discover that anger is easier to handle than grief"- Emily Griffin**_

* * *

The days all blurred together as time passed slowly. At the beginning, it felt as if Griest was simply away and would be arriving home at any moment. But, after a while, it almost felt like she never existed. The only indication of the passing days was the silent count each of the Roes had in their head. _Three days. Five days. One week. Two. One month._

They went about their lives and assured people they were fine, but they saw through the Roes' lies. Work was slow and torturous as Gene went over every memory he shared with her, wishing for the good times and scolding himself for the bad; why did they argue about the dishes or which colour to paint Adam's room? Why couldn't he have agreed, apologized, and held her tightly for one more night?

Roe knew the kids felt the same torture at school, but they fed him the same lies; they assured him they were fine, but Roe knew better. No one was fine. Adrienne was soft-spoken before, but lately, it would be days before she uttered a single word. Adam was agitated and argued with his sister about everything, even though she never argued back. They were all getting forgetful and the house was neglected; the dishes were left in the sink, clothes went unwashed, and dinner was forgotten, not that they ate much anyways.

Aunty Marie stayed with them for the first week, but had to leave for work. Buck called them often, but wasn't impressed with how it was going. A few Easy member- Luz, Guarnere, Malarkey, and Babe- decided to head down to Louisiana and stay with them until the Roes got back on their feet. Although they never admitted to it, Gene suspected they called Winters every few days and updated the retired major on their progress, or lack of.

One Wednesday, or maybe it was Thursday- Roe never knew anymore, Adam slammed the front door closed as Malarkey followed behind. Not only did Adam argue with his sister, but had started arguing with his teachers and other classmates. It came to a point where they received a phone call from his principal every second day. The principal was gentle and expressed his sympathies and offered small solutions to Adam's sudden anger, but today was different. Today he asked for an adult to pick the boy up from school. Malarkey volunteered to go so Roe could keep an eye on Adri.

Malarkey spoke to Adam in a gentle tone, "I get it, I really do, but you can't do that, Adam."

"I can do whatever I want! I don't have to listen to you! You're not my real uncle!"

"What happened?" Roe looked up from the newspaper he wasn't reading. The pair strode into the living room as Adri looked up from the book in her hands. The other Easy guys paused whatever they were doing and peeked inside.

"Adam beat up one of his classmates at school today," Malark sighed as Roe looked at Adam. The teenager had a bruise forming on the side of his cheek, but it was more than that. He was pale and had lost about ten pounds since... No, Roe didn't want to think about that.

"He deserved it!" Adam protested as he clenched and unclenched his fists. Griest used to do the same thing when she was angry and was trying to keep herself in check.

"How?" Babe asked, glancing at Roe.

"He called Mama a liar! He said she never fought in Europe, never jumped outta airplanes, and never killed any Nazis. I tried telling him we went to Bastogne, saw the places, and saw Mama's photographs but he just said she was a lying whore, and she got what she deserved!"

"Whoa," Guarnere mumbled, whistling through his teeth. "Did you at least win the fight?"

"Bill!" Luz growled as everyone threw him a look. Wild Bill shrugged and waited for Adam's answer. They all did.

"Yeah, he only landed one punch. He cried like a baby when I broke his nose." Adam stood tall as a small smile poked at his lips. Guarnere returned the smirk as Roe sighed and rubbed at his pulsing forehead. He didn't know what to do. What would Griest do? What would she say if the situation were reversed, and he went to the bank instead? He pushed himself to his feet and stood in front of Adam, as the teen glared upwards at him.

"Adam, you remember when we went to Germany? You remember what she said?" Adam dropped his gaze as tears filled his eyes. He nibbled on his lip to hold the tears back. Roe continued, glancing at Adri, "She said you fight to protect people, to defend people who can't defend themselves. You fight evil."

"But he called her-"

"Your mama has been called a lot worse, believe me, and she never batted an eyelash. She might have winked and said something snazzy, but she would never have fought them. Her memory, her reputation is too good to be damaged by some high school boy." Adam rolled his eyes.

"Adam, do you believe your mom went to Europe and became an Easy paratrooper?"

"Yes, of course!" He had grown up with the stories and had seen her uniform, and her scratched and peppered helmet. He had held the pictures as she explained each one. Adam's favourite was the one of her surrounded by the men of Easy in Austria. She was leaning back, laughing with a dark bottle in her hands. Her face was light and carefree while her eyes sparkled; yet, there was a darkness in them, something Adam recognized in his father's and his uncles' eyes. His father had been sitting next to her while Uncle Luz was on the other side, laughing just as hard.

"You know the truth, so why does it matter what this boy said?" Roe pushed.

"He called her a lying whore, and that she deserved to be killed! I had to do something!"

"Adam," Roe placed a hand on his son's shoulders, "would your mom have supported this fight if she were here?"

"No." His shoulders slumped as his hands laid flat against his leg.

"Then don't do it again." Roe glanced at Adrienne. "I know it's hard, but we have to live the way she wanted us to, like she's still here. We gotta made her proud. Okay, guys?" The kids nodded slowly. Then Adam met Roe's eyes, raging once more.

"I'm not going to apologize to him."

"I never said you had to." Everyone smirked.

"Alright, kiddos, dinner's almost ready, so wash up!" Luz called as he stirred a bowl, wearing a striped apron.

"You know," Luz admitted once the kids left, "I would have kicked that kid's ass too."

"Yep!" Malarkey and Babe agreed as Guarnere nodded with a straight, calculating face, his soldier-mode.

"Yeah," Roe nodded, "me too."

"She'd be proud he won the fight," Guarnere added as they followed Luz into the kitchen.

"Live the way she wants you to," Babe repeated as the others began arguing about how much pepper to add. Babe gave Roe a look as a smile danced on his lips. "That's some really good advice, Gene."

Roe nodded. It was.

* * *

" _ **Moving on doesn't mean you forget about things. It just means you have to accept what happened and continue living-" Ezra Scarlet**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Part 13**

 **Author's note: so this is the last chapter. I will have an epilogue posted for next week to tie it all together. There will definitely be a one-shot to finish this series off. It will be called, Flowers For A Ghost. I hope to have it uploaded before Christmas, but I haven't even started on it and who knows how crazy life will get between then. I based this chapter, and the last few chapters, on my own experiences- and the experiences of my family, on the death of a close family member. Alright, well I want to thank everyone for reading and giving me the opportunity to share this story with you all. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and let me know what you guys think. Have a good one!**

* * *

" _ **Never. We never lose our loved ones. They accompany us; they don't disappear from our lives. We are merely in different rooms"- Paulo Coelho**_

* * *

Roe opened his eyes as something awoke him. He couldn't place what woke him up; he wasn't hungry or needed to go to the bathroom. He wasn't too cold or too warm, but something twitched at the back of his mind, something enough to rouse him. It was like an itch you couldn't scratch. He rolled over as he reached out, brushing his fingers against the cold sheets where she had once slept. In the past four months since her death, he thought about her often, but only focused on the memories that made him smile. He left the sad ones alone, just like the war. However, even the happiest memory brought waves of pain and anguish. He wondered if he would ever be able to think about her, and not feel his loss. He wasn't sure he wanted to.

He laid there, staring at the darkness before he rolled onto his side and looked at the clock. 1:40. The silence bore down on him as the house creaked and settled. After a month and a half, the four Easy men returned home to their own wives and children. It was the first time Roe and his kids were left alone since Griest's passing. Roe liked having the house to themselves once again; he was never one for huge crowds and get-togethers. But now, the house seemed quiet, way too quiet. The Roes had fallen into a routine as they found a way to move on. Eugene focused on working, making meals, cleaning, and preparing his kids for school.

 _It's way too quiet._ He thought of the long nights in Bastogne and how quiet it got there. Something was wrong. He stood up and walked through the house, eyeing every shadow.

He paused at Adrienne's door and stared at the door handle. Adrienne had gotten worse. Now, she'd go several weeks without speaking and barely ate. Roe tried talking to her, but she just stared at him and glanced at her hands, clutching the shell she had found at Utah Beach. Roe hoped she just needed time, but he was worried she had taken too much time. Adam, on the other hand, had responded well after his fight. There was the odd argument but, for the most part, he had taken Roe's advice to heart.

Roe uttered a sigh and pushed the door open.

The bed was empty.

He stepped inside and looked around, his gaze cutting through the shadows; but the room was vacant. He went to Adam's room and pushed it open, more forcefully than he had opened Adri's. It was also empty.

 _Don't panic._ He hurried out the back door, inhaling as the humidity attacked him, making it hard to breathe. However, he barely noticed. What he did notice, were the pair of voices that floated through the wind. His children's voices. He exhaled, sending off a brief prayer of gratitude before he followed them.

He had only been on the roof once before. He and Griest had been fighting and, afterwards, she sought out her solace. Roe followed her several hours later where they talked it out. It ended with them both crying and assisting another to bed, where their clothes may have been off before they reached their bedroom. It was funny; Roe couldn't even remember what they were arguing about.

 _This was easier when I was in my twenties._ He thought to himself as he imagined Sobel's reaction and what infractions he would have found. Roe kicked his feet and exhaled deeply as he settled on the roof, breathing hard. The moon was a black circle in the sky, but it was not dark. Millions of stars littered the sky like flashlights, illuminating the world below.

He followed Adam's voice to the two bodies that gleamed in the light. Adam was sitting tall as he pointed upwards towards the sky. The starlight lit up his face, glowing against his cheekbones and nose. It made him look strong and grown-up. His sister, however, was hunched over as she held her knees to her chest. She was watching Adam with wide, wondrous eyes as she followed his hand up to the sky. The light made her look soft, gentle, and beautiful. She looked like her mom, but daintier and more feminine.

"She said the souls that go to heaven are marked by a star, so one of those stars is Mama," Adam explained, pointing at the brightest star.

"And she can hear me?" That was the most Roe had heard her speak in a month.

Adam nodded confidently, "That's what she said, and Mama wouldn't lie. Go ahead."

Adrienne cleared her throat and shifted her weight before she spoke. At first, her voice was quiet and hesitant but grew louder and more confident, like a sunrise. "Hey, Mama, it's me, Adrienne. It's been awhile, but I miss you. I-I miss the way you kiss my head when I go to school, even though I told you I hated it. I miss our stargazing dates, and how you know exactly what to say, and when I need space." She began to tear up as her voice shook. "How you make Adam laugh and the small smile Papa gets when you laugh. I... I really miss you. I-" She broke down sobbing.

Roe watched as she held her head in her hands, but just as he was about to join them, she sat tall and took in a deep breath, wiping away her tears. Then she spoke in a steady voice, "I miss you, but I'm also mad at you. I don't want to be, but I can't help it. You were supposed to take us to Canada to see where you grew up. You were going to take Adam to a hockey game, and take me to New York. You were going to grow old with Papa and be with him forever, but you left us. I know it wasn't your fault, but I'm mad, and I can't help it."

Roe sat down behind them and rested a hand on her shoulder. Adri leaned into him, twisting herself awkwardly so she could cry into his shoulder. Roe held her tightly as he met Adam's tear-filled eyes.

"Your mama loves you both so much. She wouldn't have left us if there was any other choice. We can't be mad for the times we won't have with her; we have to be thankful for the times we had." Roe's own voice jumped and wavered as a few of his own tears trailed down his cheeks. "She was here to bring you to kindergarten. She took us to Europe, she saw Adam's first girlfriend. We have so many good memories of her. We have to think of that, Adri."

"I know. I miss her," she muttered, rubbing at her raw nose. "I really miss talking to her."

"Your brother is right; the heavenward souls are listenin', especially your mom. She can hear you, and guide ya."

"Do you ever talk to the stars?" Roe paused at his son's question. He had come to the rooftops to be with Griest, not the stars. Back then, he didn't have a star to talk to.

"I will now." The three of them sat there, telling Griest all about what she had missed. They laughed and they cried. It felt as if Griest was sitting right there beside them, as if she had never left.

"You guys should get some sleep; you still have school tomorrow. And don't break your necks on the way down!" Neither of them argued as they climbed down. Adri paused on the roof and looked at Roe.

"You coming, Papa?"

"Not yet." Roe flashed her a thin smile, "I'm gonna talk to your mother for a bit." She nodded with her own smile before she followed Adam down. It was good to see her- see them both- smiling and laughing. Roe waited, listening for a crash, a thump of a body on the ground, or screaming but, it was just him and the crickets. After a few seconds, he could hear the soft click of the back door closing.

Roe sighed and looked up. The sky was a dark, inky blue with rivers of black, indigo, and purple. It made him think of a fish and its' shimmering scales. The stars twinkled, like the light in Griest's eyes; the light that always revealed itself before she delivered a sharp joke or just before she laughed. He missed her laugh. He dropped his gaze to his hands and ran a finger over his bony knuckles just how she used to.

"Am I doing the right thing? I keep thinking we'd be better off if it were me that went to the bank instead of you. I miss ya, and I love ya."

A bright light, like that of the sun, filled the night as he jerked his gaze back to the heavens. A silver star shot across the sky, its' light reaching forward and touching everything before it dissipated into a trail of tiny diamonds. A silver line remained before it slowly faded away. A mix between a sob and a laugh escaped him as his lips formed a smile. If Griest could hear him, she would have sent that star, telling him to suck it up and keep moving. Roe knew she sent it.

Any doubts he had washed away when a gust of wind hit him. It brought the promise of rain as the tiny moisture droplets coated his face. It felt like all the light kisses she used to give him. It smelled of oak, flowers, and the swamp. It smelled like his wife.

"Okay," he nodded, "I'll take care of them. We'll all be okay, Henrietta. I promise, with all my heart."

Lightning flashed in the distance as thunder echoed through the darkening sky. Roe climbed off the roof carefully. He decided to build a ladder before someone broke their neck. He threw the stars one last look before he stepped inside and closed the door.

The stars danced and twirled as the clouds slowly blew over them; but, a single star remained visible. It shone brightly like a proud, confident smile. The Roes would be okay, and it would always be there to guide them.

* * *

" _ **Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy"- Inuit saying**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Epilogue**

* * *

" _ **That night, I took time to thank God for seeing me through that day of days and prayed I would make it through D plus one. And, if somehow, I managed to get home again, I promised God, and myself, that I would find a quiet piece of land someplace and spend the rest of my life in peace"- Retired Major Richard "Dick" Winters**_

* * *

To say the Roes had an easy life would be false. Like all people, they had their struggles and pains, but they chose to focus on what they had, versus what they had lost. They took their adversities and their joys and made their own lives.

When Adam was 18 years old, he followed in his parents' footsteps and joined the United States Army. After training, he was immediately deployed to Vietnam. He was ecstatic to have his childhood friend, and Guarnere's son, Eugene, in the same platoon. Ironically, they were both assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, which had been re-activated in 1954. The second generation eagles fought well and hard, upholding the feared reputation their parents had created. In Vietnam, they were considered one of the deadliest units, and one of the most successful.

In war, Adam experienced all the horrors, trials, pains, joys, and comradeship his parents had felt in Europe. He felt victory and the simple joys of surviving through the night, or getting a clean pair of socks. He faced anguish, having witnessed one of his best friends, Remy Deschenes, killed. He had sat under a foreign sky, crying to his mother, doubting whether he would make it home. Adam served until the end of the war in 1975. He was 25 years old.

He and Eugene Guarnere, whom he considered a brother, returned home where their sacrifices and suffering were sneered and debated by some of the public. Their families, however, welcomed them home with open arms, and a huge celebration that lasted three days. Adam could only remember the first day.

Adam lived with his father as he battled the same demons and sense of loss and purposelessness that plagued his parents after their war. His father and uncles helped him and returned him back to a civilian life. Adam later confessed to his father that he never fully understood Europe, or the sacrifices his parents had made, he thought he had understood, but he understood now. He recognized that dull, haunted look in the Eagles' eyes; it was the same look that greeted him when he looked in the mirror.

He worked with his father in the construction business before he moved to New Orleans and became a police officer, obtaining the job his mother was denied. Adam married his childhood sweetheart, Emilie, and had five children together; one set of boy twins, three other boys, and one girl. They were named Chris and Remy, George, Warren, and Henrietta, whom they nicknamed Chucky. Adam was a great father who instilled the lessons and values his parents had taught him.

Adrienne took after her father and turned her attention to medicine. She became one of the first female doctors in the state. Her uncles all joked they would have to call her "Doc" now, instead of Roe. It was a title her father was proud to pass on. The day she received her doctorate, Roe gave her Griest's pocket watch. It still had the bullet embedded on the front. However, her career was not easy; she faced the same oppression and discrimination her mother experienced, but she persisted. She moved from clinic to clinic before landing a permanent job at the local hospital. She was a good doctor who could communicate with the wounded, both mentally and physically, patients the other doctors had given up on. She later started her own clinic.

She remained in Baton Rouge and lived only a block away from her father. She remained heavily involved in her uncles' lives and helped plan, organize, and coordinate the Easy Company reunions. She married another doctor and had two boys and one girl: William, Faye, and little Edward. Like her mother, she made sure her children knew the price of freedom and of the men who gave it all.

As Easy Company grew older, they slowed down but maintained their tight bonds. They continued their reunions and remained in close contact with another long after the war had passed. They visited another often and even became "uncles" to the second generation. Uncle Luz and Uncle Guarnere, for example, were part of Adam's and Adrienne's weddings.

Just as Griest's life continued after the war, the same happened to her brothers. They each had their own lives with their own ordeals and victories.

Buck Compton turned to a career in law; first, as a police detective, then later became a lawyer. His most famous case was the prosecution of Sirhan Sirhan for the murder of Robert F. Kennedy. He retired in 1990 after being appointed to the California Court of Appeal. Buck died in his daughter's home on February 25, 2012.

David Webster became a reporter for several newspaper companies. He later began working on a book about sharks, and was lost at sea on September 9, 1961, leaving behind his wife and several children. After his disappearance, his wife published his wartime diaries, providing a firsthand look into the life of a paratrooper in World War 2.

John Martin went to school to become a railroad construction worker. He moved to Phoenix, began his own construction company, and became a millionaire. He died on January 20, 2005.

Frank Perconte returned home and worked as a postal worker, reuniting with his wife and children for the first time in three years. His son particularly found his wounded ass hilarious, but not his wife. Perco died on October 24, 2013.

Joe Liebgott went to San Francisco and drove his cab before moving to LA and becoming a barber. He went on to have eight children. Lieb kept to himself and never attended any of the Easy reunions, but kept in contact with Adam. He would often write the boy during his service and gave him advice, advice Adam claimed saved his life. Liebgott died on June 28, 1992.

Bull Randleman went to trade school and eventually became a service manager for a Caterpillar equipment dealership. He became a successful businessman, got married, and had two children. He lived in Louisiana for several years, working as a constructor contractor superintendant. He visited the Roes often during that time; Adrienne babysat his kids, and later, became their doctor. He moved to Arkansas and died on June 26, 2003, from a staph infection.

Darrell "Shifty" Powers became a machinist for several companies all over the USA. He married and actively attended the reunions. Shifty died on June 17, 2009, in Virginia from Lung Cancer.

After attending Griest's funeral, Floyd Talbert attended a few reunions, but kept to himself. When he did speak, he told stories of his wife and children; he even brought them and introduced his family to the eagles of his past. He struggled with alcoholism for several years, but was able to manage his drinking before his death on October 10, 1982.

Carwood Lipton went to school, obtained a degree in Engineering, and was hired by Owen Illinois Inc. He moved up the ranks quickly and became chief operator in 1952. He moved to Europe for several years with his wife, working for several glass companies. He retired and moved to North Carolina. He helped the Roe children throughout their lives and became like a second father to them, and was very close to their children. Lipton died on December 6, 2001, of pulmonary fibrosis.

Ronald Speirs remained in the army after World War 2. He fought in Korea and was involved in several successful operations. After, he was the liaison for the Red Army in Easy Germany, and later, became the governor of a German prison. After intimidating the men of Easy Company, controlling prisoners was an easy task. If a prisoner was acting up, all he had to do was offer them a cigarette. He returned to the States and trained soldiers while working for the Pentagon before retiring as a lieutenant-colonel in 1964. Speirs used his old contacts and looked out for Adam and Eugene Guarnere during their years of service. Speirs died on April 11, 2007.

Lewis Nixon experienced several failed marriages after the war, but everything changed when Griest introduced him to Grace. After their wedding, he settled down and beat his alcoholism. The pair never had any children together. Nixon died on January 11, 1995. At Grace's request, Winters presented his friend's eulogy.

Babe Heffron and Guarnere maintained their friendship long after the war. Babe worked several jobs in Philadelphia, including working at a whiskey distillery, clerking, checking cargo, and working on the Philly waterfront. He had troubles celebrating Christmas and found himself thinking about the friends he had lost in Bastogne. He died on December 1, 2013.

Donald Malarkey went to school and obtained his degree. He also met and married his wife. They had several children together. Malark worked in real estate and insurance for a time. Afterwards, he went into public speaking and spoke about the war to high school and college students. He conducted several leadership seminars before retiring from public speaking in 2012. He is the oldest surviving Eagle; still kicking at 96 years old.

Joseph Toye worked as a drill bit grinder despite his prosthetic limb. He was married twice and had three children, and seven grandchildren. He died of cancer in 1995 where Winters delivered his eulogy at his funeral. Toye was buried beside his wife and son.

Bill Guarnere worked several jobs as he fought the government to receive his benefits and secure a full disability. Afterwards, he threw away his prosthetic limb and retired. He married his childhood sweetheart and had two children with her. He was proud when his son became best friends with Adam; Eugene Guarnere moved to New Orleans and joined the police force, becoming partners with his wartime brother. He was now "Uncle Eugene" to Adam's children. Guarnere worked with Adrienne to organize the reunions, and helped her throughout the deaths of both her parents and throughout her life. He once went after a man who harassed Adrienne at work. Adri never had a problem with the man ever again. Wild Bill died on March 8, 2014, from a ruptured aneurysm at 90 years old.

George Luz settled in West Warwick and got married, finally meeting Miss Big- Tits. He visited the Roes often and always bought the second generation Roes, and later third generation, a fancy, flaming dessert and a nice steak. Luz worked as a maintenance consultant and died on October 15, 1998, when a 7,200 lb. dryer fell on top of him, killing him instantly. The Roe children greatly mourned the loss of one of their mother's best friends. At his funeral, Luz's children were shocked to see medals pinned to his chest, and sought answers from Winters. They never even knew he had them, or what they were for. 1,600 people attended the funeral to pay their respects.

Richard "Dick" Winters was the best leader Griest had the honour of serving. After the war, Winters worked for Lewis Nixon and rose up to general manager in 1950. During that time, he returned to school and got married. In 1951, he was called back to service for the Korean War. He convinced General McAuliffe to keep him in the states, where he trained officers and rangers. He was later discharged from the army. He and his wife bought a farm where they built a home and raised their two children. Winters started his own company selling animal feed before retiring in 1997. He conducted several lectures at West Point and received several commendations for his actions and leadership in World War 2. Winters died on January 2, 2011, from Parkinson 's Disease. On June 2, 2012, they unveiled a bronze statue in Winters' likeness near the village of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, France. At Winters' request, the monument was dedicated to all the junior officers who served and died during the Normandy landings.

Eugene Roe remained in Baton Rouge and helped raise his grandchildren. He had dinner with Adrienne almost every night and often made the trip to New Orleans to visit his son and other grandchildren. It was hard to see his son go to war, but gave him his mother's and his own dog tags for luck. He also struggled with how Adrienne was treated at work, but supported his children the best he could.

There was never a day where Gene didn't think of his wife, and greeted each memory with the same bittersweet tears. He spent each night on the rooftop, talking to the stars; even at 70 years old, his children would find him on the roof. However, he did not let his loss hold him back. Despite his quiet nature, he kept busy and remained in the construction business until his retirement. On the anniversary of Griest's death, he left a single flower at her grave. He never remarried.

Eugene Roe died on December 30, 1998, from Lung Cancer, surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

* * *

Voices lightly filled the house in gentle whispers as if afraid of rousing a sleeping babe. The members of Easy had gathered once again to mourn the loss of one of their own. A friend, one who had saved their lives multiple times throughout the war, and never asked for anything in return, except maybe some scissors.

"He found boots for Toye in Bastogne, remember that?" Malarkey muttered with teary eyes. He had found he had gotten more emotional the older he got.

The others nodded as Perco chuckled, "I wanna know where he found those anyways. You know, he never gave me my scissors back." He released a shaky sigh and took a long drink of whiskey. "He needed them more than I did."  
"Are you both okay?" Lipton turned away from the enlisted men and faced the officers. The officers had assembled near Adam and Adri, watching as Adam and Eugene Guarnere spoke in gentle tones, and Adri watched her older children carefully. William and Faye were sitting at the table, talking to Uncle Shifty and Uncle Babe gently.

"Yeah," Adam cleared his throat as he shrugged. War had hardened him, but tears still lined his eyes. "We knew this was coming. We got to say goodbye. I just wish we hadn't lost Uncle Luz only two months ago. It's too close together."

Adri nodded, looking away from her kids as the taste of the flaming dessert filled her mouth. Uncle Luz had visited them only a week before his accident. She felt bad for Luz's children; her brother was right, they had a chance to say their farewells. Being Roe's doctor, she was the one who diagnosed the cancer and tried to treat it. Considering his age, she knew the chance of beating the cancer was very low. However, that knowledge did not make her loss any better. She missed him.

As if sensing her thoughts, Winters reached over and squeezed her shoulder as the other Eagles materialized around them, lending their strength and support. She looked around and smiled at each of their faces, briefly wondering what her life would be like without them. She didn't like it.

"Dad," Adam's oldest twin, Remy, called as he stepped into the circle, followed by his siblings and youngest cousin, "Chucky and Edward can't sleep." His youngest sibling and youngest cousin stared up at the adults with wide, sorrowful eyes.

Adri knelt before the pair and smiled gently, "What's wrong?"

The pair shared a look before Edward spoke, wiping at his dark blue, almost black eyes. "I miss _grand-père._ "

Adri released a breath as she held her son and looked up to her brother. The same helplessness, uncertainty, and loss echoed in his eyes as he looked to have aged two years. He had looked older since the war, but the past few days had been hard on him. Adam nodded, agreeing to her unspoken suggestion. They had talked about this moment for years, but now the kids were old enough to understand. It was time.

"Guys, follow your aunt outside," Adam uttered gently as Adri's other children joined them. Adri slowly made her way to the back door as Adam addressed his other family. "Uncle Buck, Uncle Winters, we'll be right back."

Speirs looked up from George Roe and asked knowingly, "The roof?" As a youth, he had spent countless hours beside Chris under the stars. Adam nodded shortly as the Eagles flashed each other understanding glances.

"We'll be back," Adam promised, kissing his wife's cheek. Emilie nodded sympathetically as Adri brushed her hand against her husband, James' shoulders. Then, they stepped outside.

Roe was true to his word and built a ladder. After a decade, the paint was chipped and splintered as the ladder creaked and bent with each step, at least, for the older ones. The family helped each other up as the older children kept the younger ones away from the edge.

"C'mon, gather around." The kids sat around Adam and Adri as Edward crawled into his mother's lap and young Chucky leaned her head on her father's forearm. George and Warren sat beside Faye as Chris, Remy, and William sat farther out, glancing at their parents.

Adam met their gazes before continuing, "Your grandma had a belief, one that she passed on to us, and now we'll pass to you." Adam exhaled, then shared the secret of the stars. Adri watched them all as her brother spoke, smiling slightly. Like her father, the memory of her mother was bittersweet; looking at little Chucky, who was identical to her mother, was hard for the first few years, and even then, she sometimes had to take a double look.

"Really?" Faye breathed, smiling her crooked smile before throwing her head back to inspect the heavens. The young ones gasped at the prospect of their grandparents being a star, guiding them throughout their lives. The older ones remained quiet, understanding the science behind the sky; however, it was a comforting thought, one that made them feel less alone.

" _Oui,_ baby," Adrienne smiled, tapping her daughter's nose, just how Griest used to do. "See, right there? Just to the left of the moon? That's- oh!" She gasped. "Adam! Adam, look at Mama's star! _Regarde la star de maman!"_

Adam looked up as his mouth fell open. His throat bobbed as he buried his smile into Chucky's strawberry blonde hair.

"What is it, Dad?" Chris leaned forward.

"Mama's star," he breathed, pointing at it. He never had any problems finding it, even in Vietnam; it was always the brightest star in the sky, but it was always alone. It made him think of a solo figure skater, dazzling the sky with her radiance, but it wasn't alone anymore. Just to its right, another star twinkled and shone. The solo act had finally found a partner.

"They look like they're holding hands," Warren observed. He was right; the tips of Gene's star extended forward to touch Griest's star.

"Aunt Adrienne," George began, "is that Grandma and Grandpa?"

A tear rolled down her cheek as she smiled, finding it hard to speak. She cleared her throat, "Yes, it is."

The stars twinkled as if waving to their family below. Adri could picture them: Griest and Roe in their 20s, wrapped tightly in each other's embrace. Roe would glance at her, wearing that small, content smile as if she were the whole world. Griest would be laughing and kissing his cheek before whispering lightly in his ear. Just how they were in all the photos someone of Easy had taken when they weren't looking.

"Are they happy? Will they be okay?" William asked. Adri met Adam's gaze as the siblings smiled.

"Yes," Adam answered. "Now, let's head in before Aunt Emilie sends a search party after us. I don't want Uncle Guarnere or Uncle Bull trying to climb that ladder." The kids obliged and went inside under the starlight's careful watch.

The two stars flashed in farewell, until the next night when their advice would be sought out; but, the Roe children never worried about their parents. They knew, after being apart for so long, their parents would be together forever in the stars.

* * *

" _ **We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields, and in the streets. We shall never surrender"- Winston Churchill**_

* * *

 **Author's note: So that's all you guys! Once again, the French is from Google Translate, so I apologize if I got it wrong. Thank you so much for reading and giving me the privilege of sharing this story with the world. I wasn't sure how this one would be taken, but thank you for standing by me and supporting me. I personally want to thank: toomanyfandomssolittletime, The GoldenGroups, annabelleigh1996, Theo, kalije, and Byron W.4 for all your reviews and support. And a huge shoutout to everyone who favourited and followed; this story wouldn't have happened without all your support.**

 **I also want to take the time and give you all one last rant. I know the Vietnam War and several other conflicts, in which the US military was involved, were not supported by some of the public. I read in _American Sniper_ where Chris Kyle came home and had people lecturing him about what he did over there, and how they should never have fought in Iraq. First of all, do not criticise these guys! If you think you can do a better job than them, then shut up, sign up, and try to show them, instead of running your trap about something you do not understand. I've said it before; war is something we as civilians can never understand, not unless we have experienced it or been a part of it. Second of all, support our troops. There have been several wars that I disagreed with, but I still support my troops and thank them for their service. They don't get to decide which war they'll fight and which one they'll sit out, so support them. You disagree with the war, then go to the government, the guys who actually decided where the soldiers will fight; but please, for the love of God, without getting super political, do not kneel for the national anthem- I also have that rant in _We Lucky Few_. Okay. End of that rant.**

 **Just a reminder, there will be one final one-shot to finish this series off. It will be called _Flowers For A Ghost_ so keep your eyes out for that. Once again, thank you guys for reading and going on thier adventure with me. Have an amazing day!**


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